Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Third Edition

The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Third Edition (PDMS- 3) provides both in-depth assessment and remediation of gross and fine motor skills. The assessment measures interrelated motor abilities that develop early in life.

The PDMS 3 has five core subtests and one supplemental subtest.

Core Subtests

• Body Control
• Body Transport
• Object Control
• Hand Manipulation
• Eye-Hand Coordination

Supplemental Subtest

• Physical Fitness

Features

The PDMS 3 has several enhancements from the previous edition:

• The subtests of the PDMS-3 were renamed to reflect a better understanding of the skills required by the items.
• The addition of the supplemental Physical Fitness subtest reflects the current literature’s interest in overweight, obesity, and fitness testing of preschool children.
• Examiner Record Booklets now contain complete administration and scoring instructions, allowing administration of the test without using the Examiner’s Manual.
• The kit now includes a Scoring Transparency containing images of a protractor and ruler to aid examiners in scoring.
• The revised Illustrated Guide to Item Administration includes many replaced and updated illustrations.
• The Motor Activities Program was revised to be more user friendly. It contains units organized developmentally by skill area to facilitate the child's development in areas assessed as requiring intervention.
• The manipulative kit includes most of the manipulatives needed for testing to better ensure the standardized administration of items.
• Updated Peabody Motor Development Chart
• Norms are based on a sample of 1,452 children who were tested from Spring of 2016 through Spring of 2021.
• Standardized scores and corresponding narrative are obtained via the PDMS-3 Online Scoring and Report System.

Where are the norm tables?

There are no tables in the PDMS-3 manual – all scores are calculated using the online scoring system.

How do I access the online scoring system? Do I need to set up an account?

Yes. Each test user will need an account. Organizations/clinics can set up a single account and add as many examiners and administrators as they need. The activation code needed to access the online scoring will be printed on the PDMS-3 Examiner Record Booklets and Supplemental Subtest Booklets. Information on setting up a new account can be found on page 19 of the PDMS-3 Examiner’s Manual.

Will I be able to edit the online report (i.e. will it generate as an editable document)?

Yes. The Detailed Narrative Report will be available as a Word document and as a PDF.

Who do I contact if I have a problem with the online scoring system?

For support with the online scoring system please email testquestion@proedinc.com

How was the impact of COVID-19 analyzed/accounted for in relation to the normative data? 

The majority of the PDMS-3 normative sample was collected prior to the pandemic, but the raw score means of the data collected during the pandemic were compared to the raw score means of the data collected prior to the pandemic and found to be very similar.

Complimentary assessment overviews and training

Learn more about PDMS-3 and how to use it with fidelity.

Whether you’ve purchased this assessment or need additional information to help make your purchase decision, we’ve got complimentary on-demand, introductory training to help guide you.

Register for Brainshark to access the brief assessment overview, including a description of the components, types of scores provided, and applicable clinical populations.