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What Are Some Diagnostic Tests for Fine Motor Skills?

As defined by Medline Plus, fine motor skills are those that facilitate the movement of smaller muscle groups. This can also correspond with hand-eye coordination and tactile, or touch, perceptions. A few tests can diagnose problems with these functions along with others, such as foot-eye coordination. Most problems with development occur in childhood and can be found with tests to determine any problems or lesions on the brain.

  1. Beery-Buktenica VMI Test

    • Pearson Assessment states that its Beery-Buktenica Visual Motor Integration test examines the ability of individuals to use their visual and motor abilities simultaneously. This test is utilized by psychologists, specialist teachers, learning disability specialists and other professionals to conduct research, identify individuals with difficulties, make appropriate referrals and test the effects of educational programs. This test is one of the few that diagnose problems in children as young as 2 years old. It provides about 600 age-appropriate norms for each age group from 0 to 6 years that include basic gross and fine motor skills and visual motor skills. These norms are established by criteria developed through research.

    Peabody Developmental Motor Scales

    • According to Western Psychological Services, the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales test evaluates problems and dysfunctions in fine and gross motor skills. Six subtests are included under the title of this test. This series of tests determines the motor abilities that are interrelated and the subject's ability to use them in conjunction with one another. Subjects of this examination can range from 0 to 5 years of age. The tests evaluate the participant's reflexes, ability to maintain their balance, move about, manipulate the objects around them, use their hands in complex patterns and use visual-perception skills when performing activities. The evidence of the effectiveness of these tests has been determined through empirical research conducted by psychologists and learning disability specialists.

    Bruininks-Oseretsky Test

    • The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency tests gross and fine motor skills of people ages 4 to 21, according to Pearson Assessment. The test helps determine proficiency in motor abilities of both able-bodied students as well as students with developmental dysfunctions and motor-skill handicaps. The test takes about 45 to 60 minutes in its longest form, and 15 to 20 minutes in its condensed edition. The test helps encourage the development of programs to train motor functions, Pearson Assessment reports. This examination has three categories and a total of eight subtests.

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