Ghent Developmental Balance Test: A New Tool to Evaluate Balance Performance in Toddlers and Preschool Children

Background: Balance is a fundamental component of movement. Early identification of balance problems is important to plan early intervention. The Ghent Developmental Balance Test (GDBT) is a new assessment tool to monitor balance from the moment of independent walking to 5 years of age. Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish the psychometric characteristics of the GDBT. Methods: To evaluate test-retest reliability, 144 children were tested twice on GDBT by the same examiner, and to evaluate inter-rater reliability, videotaped GDBT test sessions of 22 children were rated by 3 different raters. To evaluate the known-group validity of GDBT, z-scores on GDBT were compared between a clinical group (n=20) and a matched control group (n=20). Concurrent validity of GDBT scores with the subscale standardized scores of Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second edition (M ABC-2), the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales–Second Edition (PDMS-2), and the balance subscale of Bruininks Oseretsky Test-Second Edition (BOT-2) was evaluated in a combined group of the 20 children from the clinical group and 74 children who are developing typically. Results: Test-retest and inter-rater reliability was excellent for the GDBT total score, with intra class correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.98, standard error of measurement values of 0.21 and 0.78, and small minimal detectable differences of 0.58 and 2.08 respectively. The GDBT was able to distinguish between the clinical group and the control group (t(38)=5.456, p<0.01). Pearson correlations between the z-scores on GDBT and the standardized scores of specific balance subscales of the M ABC-2, PDMS-2 and BOT-2 were moderate to high, whereas correlations with subscales measuring constructs other than balance were low. Conclusion: The GDBT is a reliable and valid clinical assessment tool for the evaluation of balance in toddlers and preschool-aged children