The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test (Bender, 1938) is an assessment tool used to measure visual-motor integration and visual perception in children between the ages of four and eighteen. This test has been used in clinical settings for more than seventy years to evaluate neurological and psychological conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities (LD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test consists of nine geometric designs that the child is asked to reproduce on a blank sheet of paper. The test is scored based on the accuracy of the reproduction and the time it takes to complete the task. The scores are then evaluated to get an overall measure of the child’s visual-motor integration and visual perception abilities.
This test has been found to be a reliable and valid measure of visual-motor integration and visual perception in children (Gurka, 2011; Otero-García, et al., 2014). The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test has been used in numerous studies to assess visual-motor integration and visual perception in children with learning disabilities, ADHD, and ASD (Gurka, 2011; Otero-García, et al., 2014; Tuchman, et al., 2012). The results of these studies have found that children with learning disabilities and ADHD have significantly lower scores on the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test than those without these conditions (Gurka, 2011; Otero-García, et al., 2014; Tuchman, et al., 2012). Additionally, children with autism spectrum disorder have been found to have significantly lower scores on the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test than those without autism (Gurka, 2011; Otero-García, et al., 2014; Tuchman, et al., 2012).
Overall, the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test is a reliable and valid measure of visual-motor integration and visual perception in children. This test has been used in numerous studies to assess visual-motor integration and visual perception in children with learning disabilities, ADHD, and ASD. The results of these studies have found that children with learning disabilities, ADHD, and ASD have significantly lower scores on the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test than those without these conditions.
References
Bender, L. (1938). Visual-motor Gestalt tests. New York, NY: Consultant Psychologists Press.
Gurka, K. (2011). The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test: A review of the literature. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 26(8), 745-753.
Otero-García, L., García-Fragoso, L., Martinez-Leal, R., & Hernandez-Loredo, V. (2014). Validity of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test among Mexican children and adolescents. Revista de Neurologia, 58(9), 473-478.
Tuchman, R., Johnson, C., & Monuteaux, M. (2012). Utility of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test in the evaluation of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Child Neuropsychology, 18(2), 119-130.