Introduction: The Box and blocks test is a clinically validated instrument for evaluation of gross manual dexterity and coordination. Originally it was designed by two occupational therapists to evaluate the gross manual dexterity of adults with cerebral palsy. The Box and blocks test consists of a wooden box with 150 wooden (2,5 cm x 2,5 cm) cubes of different colors. A 100 mm high partition is located between the two box compartments. The goal of the test is to transfer as many cubes as possible, one at a time, from one compartment to the other in one minute. Purpose: To review the normative scores of the Box and blocks test for children in Slovenia and compare them to the results of children from the Netherlands. Methods: The study included 30 healthy children, fifteen girls and fifteen boys, six to seven years old. Nine children were already seven years old (born in 2013), meanwhile 21 children were six years old (born in 2014). All of the participants were right-handed. Results: The average number of cubes transferred by the girls with their right hand were 38,9 and 37,6 cubes with their left. Boys transferred 43 cubes with their right hand and 42,4 cubes with their left. The results of both genders combined were 40,9 cubes with their right hand and 40 cubes with their left hand. Discussion and conclusion: The results have shown that the average number of transferred cubes was lower in the Slovenian study when compared to the study conducted in the Netherlands. This brings us to the conclusion that we need to evaluate a larger group of children to set our own norms, implying that we need to conduct more assessments within a larger group of participants.
|