In this article, the author features creative ways to fit a lot of movement and fun inside the classroom when there is bad weather. He suggests that, to be creative in the classroom, one can create crawling tunnels for children by moving chairs away from tables and draping sheets or towels over their tops and sides. Or one can weave an obstacle…

One would expect psychology--the science of mental life and behavior--to place great emphasis on the means by which mental life is behaviorally expressed. Surprisingly, however, the study of how decisions are enacted--the focus of motor control research--has received little attention in psychology. This article documents the neglect and considers…

The manual was designed to provide an overview of the Developmental Physical Management program used at the University of Alabama in classes for infants and children with multiple disabilities. The multidisabled child may be affected by one or more of the following problems: slow development, lack of normal integration of basic reflexes, abnormal…

Computers can be used to help develop physical proficiency in the handicapped student if appropriate software is used. Suggested computer use for various educational purposes includes sports games, assessment, simulation, and accommodation of severe disabilities. (DF)

Teachers who communicate a clear intent to improve students' motor performance present tasks holistically, concretely, and briefly. Movement skills in a physical education lesson are developed primarily by presenting and working with tasks while students are actually moving. (JN)

The Children's Developmental Play Program at Jacksonville State University (Alabama) encourages fine and gross motor skills in developmentally disabled children while simultaneously improving self-concept and optimizing risk taking behaviors. (SB)

This article describes the Harris Infant Neuromotor Test (HINT) and reviews investigations into its reliability and validity, normative data, and the sensitivity and specificity of parental opinions of their infants' movement and motor development. It concludes that the HINT is a quick, noninvasive screening tool with potential for the early…

Details are presented regarding the essential elements of an effective early childhood physical education curriculum. Components include movement awareness, fundamental locomotor skills, fundamental nonlocomotor skills, fundamental manipulative skills, and health-related fitness. (CB)

This paper describes the implementation of goal attainment scaling at the Scottish Centre for Children with Motor Impairments. Goal attainment scaling was chosen because of its accommodation of the heterogeneity that exists among children with movement difficulties and their variation in rates of progress. Advantages and problems with the…

This article examines the theoretical foundations of the Mobility Opportunities Via Education (MOVE) Curriculum, which is designed to teach sitting, standing, and walking skills to students with physical disabilities. By incorporating natural environment, functional activities, scaffolding, and partial participation, the curriculum enables…

Through experiences with toddlers at the ADC-Ridgecrest Physical Activity Program, the authors have found there are many ways to encourage and promote the "Active Start" guidelines through play. Their research and collaboration with early childhood specialists suggests that toddlers like to play and that it is particularly important in the overall…

This article offers a specific example of the benefits that might result from integrating scientific principles into the daily practice of dance training. Using the mastery of turnout as our focus, we 1. describe the anatomy of turnout in terms familiar to the dance artist, 2. explore conditioning and imagery work designed to improve the use of…

This article illustrates the author's discovery that the key to any successful dance unit is finding ways for students to make connections and want to dance. While reflecting on the purpose of dance in the curriculum, the author identified important skills and concepts he wanted his students to master, such as rhythm, balance, and…

Autonomously developing organisms face several challenges when learning reaching movements. First, motor control is learned unsupervised or self-supervised. Second, knowledge of sensorimotor contingencies is acquired in contexts in which action consequences unfold in time. Third, motor redundancies must be resolved. To solve all 3 of these…

This final report details the outcomes of a 3-year project involving children with severe disabilities (ages birth-6) designed to: (1) determine the effectiveness of specific therapeutic intervention techniques on the development of basic motor skills in young children with severe and multiple disabilities; (2) explore the relationship between…