The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a dance program on static and dynamic balance in young children (6.62 ± .65 years old). Forty-six children were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (24 children) who took part in a four-week dance program (three times a week, total 12 sessions, 45 min/session), or a control group…

Autism is often associated with early developmental delays in language and motor skills. However, little is known about the complex dynamic processes that drive the co-development of such early difficulties. The aim of the present study was to model the parallel growth of language and motor skills in a cohort of infants and to explore differences…

This study aimed to examine associations between gross motor skills and executive functions (EF) in a large sample of Australian preschool-aged children. Of 566 children (mean age = 3.2 ± 0.4 years, 51.2% girls), locomotor, object control, and total skill competence were significantly associated with visual spatial working memory and inhibition (p…

Effectiveness of motor interventions depends not only on learning content but also on the used teaching strategies. However, little is known regarding the application of teaching strategies in clinical practice. This study aimed to develop and assess psychometric properties of a new Dutch observational instrument to document teaching strategies:…

Motor skills during early childhood play a significant role in child development. We used the bioecological model to determine the bioecological factors associated with preschool children's gross motor skills (GMS). The GMS of randomly sampled 280 children were tested using a standardized checklist. The background variables theoretically framed in…

Background: Current UK measures of early spoken language comprehension require manipulation of toys and/or verbal responses and are not accessible to children with severe motor impairments. The Computer-Based Instrument for Low motor Language Testing (C-BiLLT) (originally validated in Dutch) is a computerized test of spoken language comprehension…

Drawing on social constructivist learning theory and a conceptual framework for meaningful physical education (MPE), the purpose of this self-study was to present and explore how one teacher-researcher (TR) evolved their approach to implementing pedagogy promoting MPE in an alternative secondary/high school education setting. Utilizing self-study,…

At preschool age, motor skills and cognitive functions are regularly examined at well-child visits. Although reliable screening depends on the stability of the assessed developmental domains, little is known about the stability of motor and cognitive performance in preschool children. The aim of the present study was to investigate how stable…

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of a 12-week gymnastics and ballet training on the balance and flexibility skills in pre-school children. The study was conducted with a total of 23 girls who had just started gymnastics (n = 11) and ballet (n = 12) in private sports clubs in Erzurum, Turkey. The verbal provocation method was used…

Research on motor learning frequently reports gender differences. However, there seems to be limited tools in the research with which to make use of these insights in educationally relevant ways. Movement learning and gender are intensely researched in movement education research, but the issues rarely intersect in the literature. The purpose of…

The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Perceived Movement Skill Competence scales for Iranian children. In particular, the scales aligned with the second and third versions of the Test of Gross Motor Development and the active play skills. The total sample was 314 children aged 4-8 years (M[subscript age] = 6.1…

Physical literacy (PL) is highlighted as a construct that can positively impact physical activity (PA). Measurement methods and definitions for PL exist, but vary between research groups. This variation affects the ability to compare research findings. The purpose of this study was to assess the construct validity of PL in children. PL was…

This research aims to determine the impact of "Galah Asin" games with parental support on the fundamental movement skills of elementary school students. The sampling technique by dividing the population into two groups: a group that used the Galah Asin game (group I) and a group that used a modified Galah Asin game (group II) in the test…

This study examined the relationship between the mother's emotional intelligence (EI) and children's motor development. Iranian preschool children (N = 148) in the range of 4-6 years were selected from daycare centres using a multi-stage cluster sampling. The "BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory" and "Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display difficulties with response to joint attention in natural settings but often perform comparably to typically developing (TD) children in experimental studies of gaze following. Previous work comparing infants at elevated likelihood for ASD versus TD infants has manipulated aspects of the gaze…