FINE MOTOR TESTING IN CHILDREN - NOT FINE

The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS) is a widely used clinica l measure for evaluating fine motor performance in children. In additi on, the PDMS has been in used research settings, including the AIDS Cl inical Trials Group (ACTG), which incorporates the PDMS in many pediat ric treatment protocols. However, little information exists about the reliability and validity of the measure in clinical populations. In th is study, children vertically infected with human immunodeficiency vir us (HIV) and seroreverters were tested on three occasions (baseline, 6 months, and 12 months) to explore the utility of longitudinal measure ment with this instrument. Both groups demonstrated wide fluctuations in scores over time, raising questions about the measure's test charac teristics. Possible causes for these observations and potential soluti ons are presented.