Discover how the BOT-2 assessment helps identify motor challenges and supports student development in educational settings
When we think about essential school skills, reading, writing, and arithmetic typically come to mind. But what about the ability to smoothly coordinate both sides of the body, maintain balance, or precisely control hand movements? Motor proficiency forms the hidden foundation of academic success and daily functioning. From sitting upright at a desk to manipulating a pencil or participating in playground activities, motor skills enable students to fully engage in their educational experience.
Fine motor skills directly affect handwriting ability, while gross motor skills influence classroom behavior and attention.
Motor proficiency affects participation in playground activities and social interactions with peers.
For educators and therapists, identifying children who struggle with these fundamental abilities requires specialized tools. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) has emerged as a premier assessment that helps schools pinpoint motor challenges and develop targeted interventions 1 . Since its original development in 1978 and revision in 2005, this comprehensive test has become an invaluable resource for understanding the complete picture of a child's development 1 2 .
The BOT-2 represents a sophisticated approach to evaluating motor proficiency in children and young adults from ages 4 to 21 2 . Unlike casual observation, it provides standardized, norm-referenced data that allows educators to compare a student's performance to national samples of their peers.
4 to 21 years
53 engaging activities
45-60 minutes (full form)
| Motor Area Composite | Subtest | Sample Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Manual Control | Fine Motor Precision | Cutting out a circle, connecting dots |
| Fine Motor Integration | Copying a star, copying a square | |
| Manual Coordination | Manual Dexterity | Transferring pennies, sorting cards, stringing blocks |
| Upper-Limb Coordination | Throwing a ball at a target, catching a tossed ball | |
| Body Coordination | Bilateral Coordination | Tapping foot and finger simultaneously, jumping jacks |
| Balance | Walking forward on a line, standing on one leg on a balance beam | |
| Strength and Agility | Running Speed & Agility | Shuttle run, one-legged side hop |
| Strength | Standing long jump, sit-ups |
Time to complete, number of correct performances, or number of errors
Converted using standardized tables
Allow for meaningful comparisons across ages and demographics
Show how a student compares to peers
A 2018 Czech study published in Frontiers in Pediatrics addressed a critical question that many practitioners had been asking: How comparable are the results from the short form versus the complete form of the test? 6
| Analysis Type | Finding | Practical Implication for Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Score Comparison | Short form yielded slightly lower scores (45.87 vs. 47.57) | Small enough difference that short form remains useful for screening |
| Sensitivity | 84% | Short form effectively identifies children with motor challenges |
| Specificity | 42.9% | Short form is less effective at confirming typical motor development |
| Variance Overlap | 57% | Forms share considerable but not complete measurement overlap |
Table source: 6
Sensitivity
Short form successfully identifies most children with genuine motor challenges
Specificity
Short form may overidentify children as having potential motor challenges
As the researchers noted, "The BOT-2 SF might be a useful tool to reveal mainly psychomotorically delayed but not above average (psychomotorically advanced) children" 6 .
| Category | Equipment Items | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Administration Materials | Manual, Examinee booklet, Scoring transparency, Administration easel, Record forms | Guide standardized administration and accurate scoring |
| Fine Motor Materials | Blocks (15), Cards (50), Pegboard, Pegs (30), Pennies (20), Penny pad, Red pencil | Assess fine precision, integration, and manual dexterity |
| Gross Motor Materials | Balance beam, Target, Knee pad, Tennis balls | Evaluate balance, coordination, and upper-limb control |
| General Supplies | Stopwatch, Tape measure, Two Chairs, Table, Tape, Scissors, String | Support timing, measurement, and proper test setup |
Table source: 2
A child with messy handwriting might show difficulties on Fine Motor Precision and Integration subtests, guiding occupational therapists to develop targeted interventions focusing on hand control and visual-motor integration 1 .
The BOT-2 has proven particularly valuable in assessing motor proficiency in children with various special needs. The test's standardization included children requiring special education services, making it appropriate for use with populations such as those with:
Developmental coordination disorder 1
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 1
Intellectual impairments 1
Learning disabilities 1
A 2021 pilot study established that the short form demonstrates "excellent reliability" for assessing motor skills in youth with Down syndrome, providing school practitioners with evidence to support its use in these populations 7 .
Looking ahead, the BOT-3 represents the next generation of this assessment tool, though research continues to emerge regarding its application in school settings 9 . Additionally, studies exploring the relationship between BOT-2 results and real-world academic tasks continue to refine our understanding of how motor proficiency supports classroom learning.
The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition has transformed how schools understand and address motor skill development. By providing a standardized, comprehensive approach to assessing both fine and gross motor skills, it brings objective data to an area of development that has often been overlooked in educational planning.
Perhaps most importantly, the BOT-2 reminds us that motor proficiency forms a critical dimension of a child's overall development. By identifying and supporting students who struggle with these fundamental skills, schools not only improve their motor capabilities but potentially enhance their academic engagement, social participation, and overall school success.
In the increasingly complex landscape of education, tools like the BOT-2 ensure that we don't miss the foundational skills that support all other learning.