Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Test of Visual-Motor Skills-3rd Edition in Preterm Children

Considering the prevalence of visual-motor disorders among preterm children and the importance of visual-motor skills in performing daily tasks, A reliable and valid tool is needed to measure these skills in preterm children. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the test of visual-motor skills- 3rd edition (TVMS-3) in preterm children.

For this purpose, 2100 students were selected from 7 to 12-year-old students across the country by multi-stage cluster random sampling method. Among these students, 376 preterm children who were born before 32 weeks of pregnancy or with a very low weight (1500 grams) were included in the research. The measurement tool of this study was the Persian version of TVMS-3, which was implemented in two stages, three weeks apart, on the research samples Also, the Bender Gestalt test was performed on the subjects in the first stage. Cronbach's alpha method was used to determine internal consistency or internal reliability, the intra-class correlation coefficient method was used to determine temporal reliability, and a one-way analysis of variance was used to determine construct validity and differences between groups. Pearson's correlation coefficient was also used to check the convergent validity.

The results of this study indicate the appropriate validity of the TVMS-3 for all 7 to 12-year-old age groups of preterm children. Also, the results of this study indicate the desirable and acceptable internal consistency and temporal reliability or reproducibility of this test.

The TVMS-3 has appropriate validity and reliability for screening and identifying preterm children with visual-motor skills disorders.