Improving access to assessments of early motor development in local languages: polish adaptation of the Early Motor Questionnaire

Abstract

AbstractA child’s motor development progresses very dynamically. It is crucial to develop freely available parent-report measures of motor development that can be easily used globally to measure motor skills and identify children in need of interventions. This paper presents the adaptation and validation of the Early Motor Questionnaire, which consists of gross motor (GM), fine motor (FM), and perception–action integration (PA) subscales, to the Polish language (EMQ-PL). Study 1 (online, cross-sectional,N = 640) assessed psychometric properties of the EMQ-PL and its value in identifying children referred to physiotherapy. Results reveal excellent psychometric properties of the EMQ-PL and differences in GM and total age-independent scores between children that were and were not referred for physiotherapy. Study 2 (in-person assessment, longitudinal,N = 100) showed high correlations of GM and total scores with Alberta Infant Motor Scale.Conclusion: Overall, the EMQ can be easily adapted to local languages and has the potential for use as a screening tool in global health contexts.What is Known:• Parent-report questionnaires - especially those available free of charge - can potentially improve the rapid assessment of motor skills in young children worldwide.• Translation, adaptation and validation of freely available parent-report measures of motor development to local languages are important for local populations.What is New:• Early Motor Questionnaire can be easily adapted to local languages and has the potential for use as a screening tool in global health contexts.• The polish version of the Early Motor Questionnaire has excellent psychometric properties and highly correlates with infants’ age and Alberta Infant Motor Scale scores.