What's new with the BOT-3?
The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency™ (BOT™) was the first standardized test I came across on my first fieldwork placement as an occupational therapy student. Back then, it came in a clunky metal case and used real pennies for the coin activities (I'm showing my age now!) Like many therapists, I feel like I've "grown up with” the BOT so I'm thrilled to be part of the team bringing the original BOT's “grandchild” — the BOT™-3 — into the world! We are all excited about this new edition, and we think you will be too!
Here's a preview of some of the changes you can expect to see in this latest version.
New items
There are 17 new items in total, including:
- Two new figures in Fine Motor Integration
- Four new Manual Dexterity tasks
- One new item in Upper Limb Coordination
- Two new Bilateral Coordination items
- Three new items in Balance
- Three new items in Strength
- One new activity in Dynamic Movement (formerly Running Speed and Agility).
- Two new balance tasks in the new optional Extended Balance subtest.
Shorter administration time
The BOT-3 will have 61 Items (BOT-2 has 53) plus an additional 5 items in the Extended Balance subtest, but the overall administration time is slightly shorter for BOT-3 because the requirement for a second trial has been removed in 28 items.
Extended age range
The upper age range has been increased to 25:11, meaning that clients can be monitored all the way through the end of their formal education. The test's “ceiling” has been raised with the addition of some more challenging items to accommodate the upward age extension.
New supplemental scores
In addition to the regular Standard Scores and Percentile Ranks, there are three new clinical scores:
- Skilled Manual Performance
- Planning and Coordination
- Movement Fundamentals
More user-friendly
- The running speed course has been shortened from 50 ft to 30 ft, reducing the overall space requirement for the testing environment.
- The kit no longer contains a balance beam, making it both cheaper and lighter. The balance beam is not required for the core Balance subtest, although it is used in the optional Extended Balance subtest and is still available to purchase separately.
- Most test items will have demonstration videos available to help examiners learn the test and show examinees what to do, if necessary, during test administration.
Improved digital options on Q-global
Examiners will be able to choose between paper and digital record forms when administering the BOT-3. The digital record form will eliminate the need for an administration easel as it will include information such as the standardized script, time limit and scoring criteria for each item. Additionally, Q-global® will calculate scores instantly and generate a summary report.
We'll be going into more detail about some of these new features in future blogs, so stay tuned and sign up for our “Stay in the Know” updates if you haven't done so already!