This study investigated the effectiveness of a 20-week Simulated Developmental Horse-Riding Program (SDHRP) by using an innovative exercise equipment (Joba®) on the motor proficiency and sensory integrative functions in 60 children with autism (age: 6 years, 5 months to 8 years, 9 months). In the first phase of 20 weeks, 30 children received the SDHRP in addition to their regular occupational therapy while another 30 children received regular occupational therapy only. The arrangement was reversed in the second phase of another 20 weeks. Children with autism in this study showed improved motor proficiency and sensory integrative functions after 20-week SDHRP (p < .01). In addition, the therapeutic effect appeared to be sustained for at least 24 weeks (6 months).
Search Results
The Effectiveness of Simulated Developmental Horse-Riding Program in Children With Autism
Yee-Pay Wuang, Chih-Chung Wang, Mao-Hsiung Huang, and Chwen-Yng Su
Motor Skill Interventions to Improve Fundamental Movement Skills of Preschoolers With Developmental Delay
Megan A. Kirk and Ryan E. Rhodes
Preschoolers with developmental delay (DD) are at risk for poor fundamental movement skills (FMS), but a paucity of early FMS interventions exist. The purpose of this review was to critically appraise the existing interventions to establish direction for future trials targeting preschoolers with DD. A total of 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. Major findings were summarized based on common subtopics of overall intervention effect, locomotor skill outcomes, object-control outcomes, and gender differences. Trials ranged from 8 to 24 weeks and offered 540–1700 min of instruction. The majority of trials (n = 9) significantly improved FMS of preschoolers with DD, with a large intervention effect (η2 = 0.57–0.85). This review supports the utility of interventions to improve FMS of preschoolers with DD. Future researchers are encouraged to include more robust designs, a theoretical framework, and involvement of parents and teachers in the delivery of the intervention.
Control of Stance and Developmental Coordination Disorder: The Role of Visual Information
Eryk P. Przysucha and M. Jane Taylor
The purpose of this study was to compare the postural sway profiles of 20 boys with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) on two conditions of a quiet standing task: eyes open and eyes closed. Anterior-posterior (AP) sway, medio-lateral sway (LAT), area of sway, total path length, and Romberg’s quotient were analyzed. When visual information was available, there was no difference between groups in LAT sway or path length. However, boys with DCD demonstrated more AP sway (p < .01) and greater area of sway (p < .03), which resulted in pronounced excursions closer to their stability limits. Analysis of Romberg’s quotient indicated that boys with DCD did not over-rely on visual information.
Clinical Intervention for Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder:A Multiple Case Study
Motohide Miyahara and Alena Wafer
The teaching process and outcome in a skill theme program and a movement concepts program were described and analyzed in seven children with developmental coordination disorder. It was hypothesized that the skill theme program would improve targeted skills and perceived physical competence, whereas the movement concepts program would improve self-esteem and creativity. The seven children were taught individually by the same student teachers twice a week for a period of five weeks in one of the teaching methods. After a vacation, the teachers changed their teaching strategies and taught the same children using the alternative method. Although the hypothesis was generally supported, the children’s response to and progress in the programs varied. Possible factors influencing the variation were discussed.
Developmental Coordination Disorder, Self-Efficacy Toward Physical Activity, and Play: Does Gender Matter?
John Cairney, John Hay, Brent Faught, James Mandigo, and Andreas Flouris
This study investigated the effect of gender on the relationship between Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and self-reported participation in organized and recreational free-play activities. A participation-activity questionnaire and the short form Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency was administered to a large sample of children ages 9 to 14 (N = 590). A total of 44 children (19 boys, 25 girls) were identified as having probable DCD. Regardless of gender, children with DCD had lower self-efficacy toward physical activity and participated in fewer organized and recreational play activities than did children without the disorder. While there were no gender by DCD interactions with self-efficacy and play, girls with DCD had the lowest mean scores of all children. These findings are discussed in terms of the social norms that influence boys and girls’ participation in physical activity.
Coaching Feedback as a Source of Information about Perceptions of Ability: A Developmental Examination
Anthony J. Amorose and Maureen R. Weiss
This study examined, from a developmental perspective, how coaching feedback serves as an ability cue. Boys and girls (N = 60) comprising 2 age groups (6-8, 12-14) viewed videotapes of youth athletes attempting to hit a baseball or softball, followed by a coach who provided evaluative, informational, or neutral feedback. Participants then rated each athlete’s ability, effort, and future expectancy of success. Separate 2 × 2 × 3 (age × gender × feedback type) repeated measures MANOVAs were conducted for the successful and unsuccessful outcome conditions. Following successful attempts, both older and younger children rated praise higher than neutral and informational feedback as a source of ability information. Athletes receiving informational feedback following unsuccessful attempts were rated highest, followed by neutral feedback and criticism. Open-ended questions revealed some age-related differences in use of ability information. Results are discussed in relation to research on sources of competence information and coaching feedback.
Motivational Climate, Motor-Skill Development, and Perceived Competence: Two Studies of Developmentally Delayed Kindergarten Children
Nadia C. Valentini and Mary E. Rudisill
Two studies were conducted to examine the effects of motivational climate on motor-skill development and perceived physical competence in kindergarten children with developmental delays. In Experiment 1, two intervention groups were exposed to environments with either high (mastery climate) or low autonomy for 12 weeks. Results showed that the mastery-climate group demonstrated significantly better locomotor performance and higher perceived physical competence postintervention than did the low-autonomy group, although both groups improved in locomotor and object-control skill performance. The second investigation extended the findings of the first by determining that the intervention effects were present 6 months later. In summary, the mastery-climate group showed positive changes in skill development and perceived physical competence, and this positive pattern of change was maintained over time.
Stability of Rhythmic Finger Movements in Children with a Developmental Coordination Disorder
M.J.M. Volman and Reint H. Geuze
The stability of single and bimanual (i.e., in-phase and antiphase) rhythmic finger movements was studied in 24 children with a developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 24 matched controls from a dynamic pattern perspective. Stability was assessed by applying perturbations and measuring the time the system needed to return to its initial stability (i.e., the relaxation time). In addition, fluctuations of the patterns were measured. For antiphase coordination patterns, the frequency at which loss of stability occurred was also determined. Children with DCD displayed less stable single and bimanual rhythmic coordination patterns than control children. Further, within the DCD group, 9 children were identified as having particularly poor bimanual coordination stability. Individual differences suggested that variability of individual limb oscillations might have contributed to this poorer interlimb coordination stability. Findings were discussed in relation to a previous study on DCD in which the Wing-Kristofferson timekeeper model was applied.
Developmental and Psychological Factors Related to Children’s Observational Learning of Physical Skills
Maureen R. Weiss, Vicki Ebbeck, and Diane M. Wiese-Bjornstal
Visual demonstrations have long been regarded as a critical instructional method for children’s motor skill and social-emotional development. Despite their widespread importance, skill demonstrations have often been characterized by a failure to consider age related differences in children’s cognitive and physical abilities. Similarly, the potential psychological effects of modeling on children’s behaviors in the physical domain have rarely been discussed. Thus the purpose of this paper is to review theoretical and research perspectives from the motor behavior and psychology literatures about developmental and psychological factors associated with children’s modeling of motor skills. Specifically, this paper will emphasize (a) how children perceive characteristics of a visual demonstration, (b) how they translate perceptions to actions that attempt to match the skill demonstration, and (c) how observational learning can be used to enhance self-confidence and motivation in youth. Practical implications for maximizing motor skill and psychosocial development in children are addressed in each section of the paper.
Developmental Characteristics in Cursive and Printed Letter-Writing for School-Age Children
Jin Bo, Julia Barta, Hilary Ferencak, Sara Comstock, Vanessa Riley, and Joni Krueger
The current study evaluated the developmental characteristics of printed and cursive letter writing in early school-age children. We predicted fewer age-related changes on spatial and temporal measures in cursive letter writing due to lower explicit timing demands compared with printed letter writing. Thirty children wrote the letters e and l in cursive and printed forms repetitively. For printed letters, significant age effects were seen in temporal consistency, whereas cursive letters showed age-related improvement in spatial consistency. Children tended to have higher consistency for printed handwriting than they did for cursive writing. Because of an overall advantage for printed handwriting, the explicit timing hypothesis was not fully supported. We argue that experiential factors influence the development of handwriting.
