An integral part of neuropsychological assessment is the measurement of sensory-motor performance. Many studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of neuropsychological batteries to assess neurological impairment, however examination of only the sensory-motor portion of those measures has been limited. Investigations of tests of sensory and motor functions have often limited their analysis to single tests. The present study assessed the ability of the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (DWSMB), part of a new neuropsychological measure, the Dean-Woodcock Neuropsychological Battery (DWNB), to distinguish between normal subjects and neurologically impaired individuals as diagnosed by a neurologist. Scores from the subtests of the DWSMB from an existing data set for 250 normal and 250 neurologically impaired individuals were randomly assigned to two equal groups to allow for cross validation. Results indicated that the DWSMB was able to correctly identify 92.8% of the cases, identifying 94.4% of the normal population and 91.2% of the neurologically impaired subjects. An additional discriminant analysis was conducted to establish the accuracy of the DWSMB to identify individual diagnoses within neurologically impaired and normal subjects. The DWSMB correctly identified the following cases: 44.9% cardio-vascular accidents, 66.7% multiple sclerosis, 40% seizures, 42% traumatic brain injuries, 62.7% dementia, and 54.5% Parkinson's disease. Results indicated the usefulness of the DWSMB in identifying neurological damage and specific diagnoses in a relatively quick assessment. The utility of the DWSMB and the use of standardized administration procedures, behavioral information for evaluation, and measures of subcortical functions was discussed in light of future research. The potential use of the DWSMB in clinical and educational settings was also considered. / Department of Educational Psychology

The main purpose of the present study was to identify sensory-motor deficits caused by closed head injury (CHI) when individuals with CHI are compared to a normal sample. The study also investigated lower-level sensory-motor functioning, such as gait, balance, and coordination and its relation to neurological impairment related to CHI. Additionally, the study determined if age significantly influenced sensory-motor functioning.Archival data was utilized to complete the study. Data was collected from a large, Midwestern neurology clinic (CHI) as well as from a normative sample of individuals with no reported history of neurological impairment. Preliminary analyses were completed to identify outliers. Samples were then randomly selected from the impaired group (CHI) and matched with randomly selected subjects from the normative sample based upon age.Three separate analyses were completed. The first analysis focused on age and if age significantly influences sensory motor functioning. The second analysis was completed using an adult's only sample based upon the results that age significantly influenced sensory-motor performance. Finally, the third analysis utilized all age groups to determine how dramatically age had an impact on distinguishing between individuals with CHI versus a normative sample.Results demonstrated that age had a significant influence on sensory-motor performance. Measures of subcortical and cortical motor function, motor speed, motor coordination and tactile examination were able to accurately classify individuals with head injury from a normative sample to a clinically significant degree (78%). The study argues that the D-WSMB is a reliable and valid measure to utilize when evaluating individuals with CHI. / Department of Educational Psychology

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Psychology

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (DWSMB) as a diagnostic tool for identifying individuals with and without closed-head injury, comparing the predictive power of a two- and three-factor representation (DWSMB; Dean & Woodcock, 2003). The current study's major research questions focused on the predictive utility of the structure of the DWSMB. The simplified two-factor model (Total Sensory and Total Motor), based on the DWSMB manual (Dean & Woodcock), was compared to a three-factor theoretical model (Basic Sensory, Higher Sensory and Motor Functions) (R.S.Dean, personal communication, March 29, 2006) for this study. Logistic Regression was used to analyze the data. Results from this study demonstrate that when using the two-factor solution, the overall correct prediction of group membership was 73.8 % (59.4% for CHI and 85.2% for normals). The Total Motor Impairment variable was the only meaningful predictor. The results from the three-factor solution show an 84.2 % overall correct prediction rate (71.4 % for CHI and 95.1 % for normals). The significant contributors for identifying CHI when using the three-factor model included Basic Sensory and Motor Functions. Everything favors the three-factor model as being more precise. All indicators of prediction accuracy and goodness of fit favored the three-factor model. Based on these results, the DWSMB was determined to be a good screening instrument for identifying children in school contexts who should be referred for a neuropsychological examination to confirm pre-existing CHI that interfere with school functioning. / Department of Educational Psychology

This cross-sectional study evaluated the trend in sensory and motor skill development for an archival dataset used in the standardization of the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (D-WSMB). Measures from the D-WSMB were organized into three broad categories according to a factor model identified by Davis, Finch, Dean and Woodcock (2006). Three primary hypotheses were evaluated: a confirmatory factor analysis would support the Davis et al. model for the current dataset, performance on sensory and motor tasks would exhibit a pattern of development and decline across age levels, and gender would not be a significant factor in variability in performance. CFA results indicated the Davis et al. factor model was a poor fit for the current dataset but that each measure loaded significantly on the factor to which it was assigned. Curve estimation identified a significant quadratic relationship between age and performance on each of the skill categories. A significant age and gender interaction was noted for each skill category. The statistically poor fit of the Davis et al. factor model was thought to be due to potential correlations between factors and between measures within the factors, although further research is needed to evaluate the impact of these relationships on model fit. Results confirmed the hypothesis that sensory and motor skill exhibit a pattern of development and decline across age levels, which can guide the interpretation of performance in a clinical setting. Further research is needed on the nature of the age and gender interaction to clarify the impact on performance on measures of sensory and motor skills. In an addendum to this study, performance on individual measures of the D-WSMB was plotted to provide further guidance in the interpretation of results in clinical settings. / Department of Educational Psychology

Given the broad public health concern, lack of reliability of diagnosis across providers and substantial resources needed to support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, the current study serves to contribute to the field in informing the contexts of both research and clinical service. The utility of a standardized sensory-motor battery was investigated in regards to its ability (1) to determine what, if any, differences exist between ASD diagnoses or subgroups in both sensory functioning and motor functioning; and (2) to determine whether such discrepancies, if they exist, are capable of differentiating groups. Results from the quadratic discriminant analysis demonstrated that the factor scores derived from the Dean-Woodcock Sensory-Motor Battery significantly differentiated the ASD and nonclinical comparison groups. Factor 1 (Simple Sensory Skills) exhibited the strongest relationship, followed by Factor 2 (Cortical Motor and Complex Sensory Skills), then Factor 3 (Subcortical Motor Tasks and Auditory/Visual Acuity Skills). Findings from the study lend initial evidence of the use of the DWSMB as a potential measure to include within the two-stage diagnostic process for ASD. Use of the DWSMB as a screening measure may facilitate access to early intervention services given the primitive nature of sensory-motor tasks. In addition, the availability of the DWSMB as a standardized measure of sensory and motor functioning may promote increased sensitivity and specificity among diagnostic providers thus improving outcomes of individuals with ASD who can access services more readily with earlier, more reliable diagnoses. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Department of Educational Psychology

The present study attempted to predict the serious side effects of akathisia and parkinsonism on the basis of individualized measurement of changes in visuomotor functioning. The following were the hypotheses for this investigation. 1. A deterioration of visuomotor ability as measured by a modification of Haase and Janssen' s (1965) Handwriting Test will predict which patients undergoing neuroleptic therapy will experience the extrapyramidal symptoms of akathisia and parkinsonism (symptom group) and which will not (no-symptom group). 2. A deterioration of visuomotor ability as measured by the Bender-Gestalt will predict which patients undergoing neuroleptic therapy will experience the extrapyramidal symptoms of akathisia and parkinsonism (symptom group) and which will not (no-symptom group). It was not possible to predict the symptom group as a whole on the basis of the Handwriting Test scores since a t test of the difference was not significant between group means. However, inspection of these scores showed clear deterioration of performance among the patients who experienced parkinsonian reactions as opposed to those who experienced akathisia or who did not experience extrapyramidal symptoms at all. The symptom group was separated into akathisic and parkinsonian groups and compared to the subjects who did not experience extrapyramidal side effects (no-symptom group). A one-way ANOVA showed a nonsignificant difference between the three groups. Similar analysis of the Bender-Gestalt scores failed to support the second hypothesis since no significant difference was found between groups.