Association between parent-proxy-reported and child-self-reported perceptions of children’s motor competence and children’s performance-based motor skill abilities

Background: When assessing motor skills, occupational therapists are encouraged to seek the perspectives of children and their parents to promote the delivery of client-centered care. Aim: To investigate whether 9–12-year-old children’s views and their parents’ proxy views of the children’s motor skill competence and their performance on a standardized, performance-based assessment are associated. Materials and methods: Thirty 9–12-year-old children completed the Perceived Motor Competence Questionnaire in Childhood (PMC-C) and the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence–version 2 (PMSC-2), while their parents completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children–2nd Edition Checklist (MABC-2 Checklist). Children’s objective motor skills were measured by the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency–2nd Edition (BOT-2). Spearman’s rho correlations were used to analyze the data. Results: Significant associations were found between the BOT-2 total motor composite and the PMC-C. A significant association was found between the MABC-2 Checklist and the BOT-2 Strength and Agility composite, as well as the PMC-C total score. Significance and conclusions: Occupational therapists are encouraged to include children and their parents in the therapeutic process to capture individual perspectives and deliver client-centered care.