2. Who the assessment is designed for~
● Designed for children from birth to
5 years old
● Used by Occupational/Physical
Therapists, Early Intervention
Specialists, Special Education
Teachers and Psychologists
● PDMS-2 is an early childhood
motor development assessment that
provides in-depth assessment and
training of gross and fine motor
skills
3. What PMDS Assess~
● Reflexes: child's ability to automatically react to environmental events, this
section of the assessment is composed of 8 items
● Stationary: child's ability to keep control of their body within its center of
gravity. It involves the ability of children to control his or her body. This section
is composed of 30 items.
● Locomotion: child's ability to move from one place to another, including
crawling, walking and running. This section includes 89 items.
● Object Manipulation: child's ability to manipulate balls such as catching,
throwing, and kicking. This section includes 24 items.
● Grasping: child's ability to use their hands. This section includes 26 items.
● Visual-Motor Integration: child's ability to use their visual skills to perform eye-
hand coordination tasks including reaching and grasping for an object, building
with blocks and tracing designs. This section includes 72 items.
● PMDS is used as a tool to assess at what level children are preforming
● PMDS helps to place children in the appropriate classroom or therapy
4. Founder of PMDS~
Rebecca R. Fewell, Ph.D.
• George Peabody College Ph.D. May, 1972
• Assistant Professor at George Peabody College 1972-77
• Associate Professor 1972-79
• George Peabody College Chairperson 1976-79
• Professor at University of Washington 1982-88
• Tulane University, Karen Gore Prof. in Special Education 1988-91
• Acting Chairperson for Tulane University 1989-91
• Professor at University of Miami School of Medicine 1991-2002
• Education Director of Mailman Center for Child Development 1991-2002
• Director of the Debbie Institute 1991-2002
• Vanderbilt University, Visiting Scholar 2003-present
• Helped write 5 books about children with Special Needs
• Helped write over 50 articles concerning child development and special needs
• BEH Graduate Fellowship Award, 1971-71
• New Mexico Fed. of CEC, Outstanding Contribution to Exceptional Children Award,
1981
• Agnes Scott College, Distinguished Career Award, 1988
• Newcomb College Fellow Award, 1989-90
• International Division of Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children,
Distinguished Service to the Field Award, 2000
5. People that have worked with
Rebecca Fewell~
All of the following are authors of books and magazines concerning the life and
growth of children with special needs and also are ambassadors for early
intervention
• Patricia F. Vadasy
• G. Schnell
• D. J. Meyer
• S. G. Garwood
• Mark Wolery
• J. T. Neisworth
• B. Deutscher
• G. Mahoney
• L. R. Metsch
• H. P. Wolfe
• C. B. McCoy
• W. N. Elwood
• B. Wohler-Torres
• P. Petersen-Baston
• H. V. Haskins
