This study examined and compared the control of posture during bilateral stance in ten boys with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) of 6-8 years old and ten matched typically developing boys in four sensory conditions (with or without vision, on a firm or complaint surface). In all conditions mean postural sway velocity was larger for the…

The primary aim this study was to investigate whether a gross motor proficiency norm developed in one country could be applied to young children in another country. The secondary aim of the study was to assess the gross motor proficiency of Hong Kong preschoolers aged five years. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) (subtests…

Although intensive early childhood interventions and high quality preschool programs have been shown to foster children's school readiness, little is known about the school readiness gains made by ethnically and linguistically diverse children in poverty receiving subsidies to attend center-based childcare or those in public school…

Increased emphasis has been placed on children's ability to enter kindergarten ready to learn, a concept referred to as "school readiness." School readiness has been defined by the Maryland State Department of Education as "the stage of human development that enables a child to engage in, and benefit from, primary learning…

This study assessed motor delay in young children 21-41 months of age with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and compared motor scores in children with ASD to those of children without ASD. Fifty-six children (42 boys, 14 girls) were in three groups: children with ASD, children with developmental delay (DD), and children with developmental concerns…

As a way to address the serious obesity epidemic in the United States, many physical education classes have become fitness centers designed to raise heart rates and burn calories. An unintended consequence of this emphasis on fitness, however, is the lack of attention to motor skill development. Motor skills do not develop miraculously from one…

Everyday environments, even small regions within reach, vary dramatically in terms of material composition. Adapting one's manual behavior to such transitions can be considered to be an important element of skilled action. To investigate the origins of this ability, we presented 8-month-olds (n=24) and 10-month-olds (n=24) hard or soft objects on…

This review analyzes approaches to intervention in children with developmental coordination disorder within the framework of how children develop and learn motor skills, drawing upon maturational, cognitive, and dynamic systems models. The approaches to intervention are divided into two categories: (1) process or deficit-oriented approaches; and…

This study investigated the effects of exercise on the motor function of 11 young people (10 females, one male; age range 11-15y; mean age 12y 7mo [SD 1y 4mo]) with cerebral palsy (CP) who were non-ambulant (Gross Motor Function Classification System Levels IV or V), using an adapted static bicycle. Three participants had dyskinetic quadriplegia,…

This paper reviews the use of eye tracking measures (saccades, smooth-pursuit eye movements, fixations during scene and face perception, and pupillary dilation) to study typical and clinical populations of children and adolescents and evaluates the use of these measures. The studies are evaluated with a focus on points that may be of general…

The kindergarten teachers in the Levittown School District implement an extended day to enhance academic and social development of their students. A description of the literacy and motor skills cluster program and specific examples of a thematic instructional unit are included. Teachers receive professional development and training and are…

These brief guidelines for a muscular flexibility program state that the purpose of such a program is to increase the range of motion in order to avoid injuries and eliminate awkwardness in physical activities. A flexibility program is described as an extension of the warm-up period and should be an ongoing, permanent effort to lengthen muscles. A…

Investigates in five- to nine-year-old children the visuomanual sinusoidal tracking of target spot on a screen. Proportion of successful performances steadily increases with age, but adult proficiency is never attained even by those who can perform the task. (Author/BE)

To improve balance skills of deaf students, teachers should first determine the student's present level of functioning, decide on developmentally appropriate activities, and then arrange activities so the child progresses sequentially. (CL)