Building From a Stable Foundation? Understanding Stability Skill Proficiency in British Children in the First Year of School.

The assessment used was designed and validated for children aged 6-10, and no process-based stability test has been validated for 4-5 year olds. The authors themselves say the low scores could be a floor effect, which would overstate how poorly the children did. The children came from six schools in deprived areas of one part of England, chosen because they were convenient. The authors say this may partly explain the low proficiency and that a more representative sample is needed to confirm the findings. The children were filmed and scored on one occasion only, by one researcher, so the study cannot say whether these skills improve with practice or teaching, only what they looked like on the day. The paper reports what children could not do on this test. It did not compare the test with the balance subscales of the balance batteries therapists commonly use (M-ABC, KTK), which the authors list as needed future work.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest and state that there is nothing to report on funding.

Do not read these low scores as evidence that these children have a movement problem that needs therapy. The authors say the assessment was built for older children and may score 4-5 year olds badly for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability, and the sample came from six schools in deprived areas rather than from children referred for any difficulty.