ABSTRACT
Objective To assess if evaluating with Peabody's fine motor development scale with 4 degree grading is more sensitive than with 3 degree grading, and whether or not it is feasible to evaluate by quantization with monthly averages. Methods A total of 864 normal children aged 1 month to 60 months were evaluated with the Peabody scale using 4 degree grading and 3 degree grading. The development results were averaged by month to express the development. Results Both ways, the monthly averages of children 4-9 months old were higher than the others. The values obtained with 4 degree grading were lower than those with 3 degree grading in each functional area, and the difference was more obvious with increasing age, but the differences were not statistically significant. With 3 degree grading the total score was equal to the actual score after the age of 9 months, but with 4 degree grading this was not true until at least 18 months. Conclusions Evaluating with Peabody's fine motor scale with 4 degree grading and quantization using monthly averages is reliable and more sensitive than 3 degree grading.