Screening for motor deficits using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) in children with language impairment

Objective: To evaluate the association between the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) motor and self-care domains with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-second edition (PDMS-2) gross motor and fine motor sub-scales. Methods: Forty children (35-62 months) with primary language impairment (PLI) were recruited. The PEDI was completed at admission and the PDMS-2 was administered within 1 month by an OT, who was unaware of the PEDI results. Results: Correlation between PEDI mobility and PDMS-2 gross motor domains was r = 0.23 (p = 0.15) and between PEDI self-care and PDMS-2 fine motor domains was r = 0.12 (p = 0.47). Associations between PEDI and PDMS-2 scores for age, gender and severity of language impairment sub-groups were poor-to-moderate. Conclusion: Findings indicate the PEDI is not sufficiently accurate to screen for motor deficits in children with PLI. More sensitive measures of motor performance are needed to detect subtle motor deficits in children with PLI.