Adapting The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2) for Young Athletes

Abstract

The original Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) is heavily used to detect motor impairments. It has shown limitations when applied to athletic population due to ceiling effects and low score variability among skilled youth. This pilot study aimed to evaluate an adapted version of BOT-2 tailored for young athletes aged 13–17 by incorporating dynamic and time-based components to enhance discrimination and engagement. The adapted BOT-2 included tasks spanning four motor domains: Drawing Lines and Folding Paper (Fine Motor Precision), and Transferring Pennies (Manual Dexterity), modified with time constraints. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis (Cronbach’s Alpha), ceiling effect inspection, and correlation matrix analysis were conducted to assess the performance variation and internal consistency. The obtained results revealed that specific retained tasks, particularly Drawing Lines and Folding Paper, exhibited strong ceiling effects. In contrast, the time-adapted tasks such as Dribbling and One-Legged Hop showed greater score variability and stronger differentiation. Principal Component Analysis further supported the multifactorial nature of motor proficiency, identifying four distinct components that accounts for 82.23% of total variance. These component groupings reflected agility, balance-related control, and fine motor integration. These findings highlight the potential of sport-specific BOT-2 adaptations and offer insights into optimizing motor proficiency assessments for developmental athletic populations, meriting further investigation.