Exploring a Novel Method for Evaluating Motor Self-Efficacy in Children with Motor Disabilities

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the perceived reachable space task for assessing motor self-efficacy in children with motor disabilities. Fifteen children underwent a 30-min rehabilitation intervention, including standing and walking exercises and goal-directed training. The task was administered pre- and post-intervention, revealing a significant increase in reachability estimates (t [14] = 2.26, p = 0.04, d = 0.58), indicating that children believed they could reach further distances after the rehabilitation program. This suggests that the intervention enhanced both physical capabilities and motor self-efficacy, supporting the task as a practical measure of motor self-efficacy, capturing aspects that traditional verbal assessments may not fully represent.