Motor Development and Motor Impairment Dyscovery Centre copyright 2009/10 Professor Amanda Kirby Not to be copied without permission
Motor Development Motor development is a change and is lifelong It is non linear with spurts and plateaus Changes that occur include: Addition Substitution Modification Inclusion Mediation
Motor Development and the Study of Change Cross sectional approach- moment in time-quickish, cheapish. Longitudinal- follow a group over timetime consuming, expensive, drop out Hybrid methods
The Two Major Questions in Motor Development How do children develop? This is the easier one-how to describe children’s development. Difficult one-explain the mechanisms of change- why does change take place? Both have answers which influence intervention: the first one gives indications of what to teach the second one how to teach.
Gene – environmental interaction
Chinese children have delayed locomotion by 3.3 months
Perception and Action interaction ◦ Crawling- essential stage- leave mum, respond to gestures and direction, responses from parent change and from baby( Zumbahlen) ◦ Wariness of heights- induces anxiety only in locomotor children
Optic flow- need for vision Children in a moving room were able to compensate posturally to the changes, even those who were not standing ď‚— Peripheral information is related to movement. ď‚—
Active v passive child
Passive children ( in push chairs, parents arms) don’t respond to peripheral information Not interacting with their environment Less 2 way communication Locomotion – assists development of visual perception, calibration of distance. The ‘education of attention’ ( Gibson,1966) Look to far space more exactly- similar in children in ‘walkers’ and crawlers cf pre locomotor
Possible Answers to Explanation Question Neural- gradual unfolding of neural mechanisms-traditional theories Information processing- plans, schemas, input through to output models Dynamical systems- multiple subsystems, self organisation, environment-animal match, linear and non linear,
Motor Development-Birth to two years
We engage in examining this part of a child’s life because firstly many of the children we see are developmentally young and secondly it gives us some indications of progressions.
Motor Development-Birth to Two years Reflexes- selected-sucking, palmar grasp, ATN, Babinski, walking. What happens to them and what do they mean? Spontaneous movements- eg supine kicking Postural control Locomotion Manual control
Motor Development-two to seven years Body control Walking Running Jumping Hopping Throwing Balancing Catching
Motor Development-two to seven years ď Ž Manual skills, including writing and drawing, self help skills. Why do you think a child can make a square from matches before they can draw it? ď ąSpatial and temporal accuracy- why is this so difficult for young children and how does it direct our teaching and therapy?
Motor Development Two to Seven Years There is an argument that says that by seven years of age a child has acquired all of the naturally developing skills s/he will ever have. After that period, they are refined, used for maximum performance, played with and utilised in novel situations. But no new ones emerge. If true, this period of a child’s life is crucial. Implications for therapy and PE in nursery and primary Schools.
Motor Development-seven to puberty Essential that fundamental skills are in place During this period children start to refine skills, play with skills in different situations, combine them, social and recreational play Maximum performance starts to play a part Gender differences How great are gender differences pre-puberty-where are they shown and if there are any, why? Implications for therapy and PE in primary schools
Motor Development-seven to puberty Spatial and temporal accuracy starts to play a major part and during this period it is one area that improves significantly both in terms of prediction and performance
Motor Development and Learning Resources of the Child
Outcomes
Environment in which Activity occurs
Manner of presentation
Motor Impairment ď Ž A number of children will have difficulties in movement and one can place them into two large categories: ď Ž Those with motor difficulties as a primary defining condition ď Ž Those with motor difficulties as a secondary defining condition
Motor Impairment Motor difficulties as a primary defining condition: Cerebral palsy Developmental Coordination Disorder Other
Motor Impairment Motor difficulties as a secondary defining characteristic: Learning difficulties- general/specific Sensory difficulties- sight/hearing/other Behaviour difficulties Other-ASD
Children’s learning What is it? Learning is a: Change in a…… Set of processes measured by…… Behaviour which is……. Relatively permanent brought about by….. Practice or experience and includes……. Transfer/generalisation.. or does it?
Children’s learning How fast do they learn? Which children learn in the following manner and what does this imply for teaching? And you?
Children’s learning What happens when we learn? Achieve skill Less effort Automaticity Multiple tasks become one Dual tasks Smoother performance
Children’s learning How does learning progress? Understanding Practicing Automating
Implications for teaching/therapy
Children’s learning What does practice mean? How How How How How
much often appropriate – whole/part fast – trade off – handwriting wide – variability and class of events
Return to this later as this is fundamental to any intervention