A framework of uniform motor terminology for South African occupational therapists working with developmental motor delay

Abstract

A uniform taxonomy within occupational therapy has become a recent focus of discussion and concern in the literature. This study investigated inconsistency in the literature and how South African occupational therapists use and understand terms related to motor performance in children with developmental motor delay. A three stage Delphi Technique was used to gain consensus on the association of characteristics of movement to six motor component terms. The results yielded both quantitative and qualitative data, which revealed that while there was strong consensus among the occupational therapists on some aspects of motor terminology, there is still ambiguity and overlap of understanding. This is reflected in a worrying inconsistency of the description of these terms in the literature and how occupational therapists use the terms in clinical practice. A Framework of Uniform Motor Terminology was developed based on the results of the Delphi Technique.