•Handwriting legibility and fluency should be considered as separable constructs.•Graphomotor skills are a stronger predictor than spelling of legibility.•Spelling skills are a stronger predictor ...than graphomotor skills of fluency.•Relations between handwriting and correlates are similar in 8-to 10-year-olds.
Recent research suggests that handwriting comprises two separate sub-skills, legibility and fluency. It remains unclear, however, how these sub-skills differ in their relationship to other abilities associated with handwriting including spelling, graphomotor skills, and selective attention. In this study, we sought to examine the extent and nature of concurrent relationships that may exist among these skills. Children in Years 3 (n = 293), 4 (n = 291), and 5 (n = 283) completed a large, group-administered battery to assess each of the above skills. Using multigroup SEM, we found that spelling, graphomotor skills, and selective attention together explained a moderate amount of variance in handwriting legibility (R2=.37–.42) and fluency (R2=.41–.58) and that these sub-skills differed in their concurrent relations. Graphomotor skills accounted for a relatively greater proportion of variance in legibility than did spelling. Conversely, there were relatively stronger contributions from variations in spelling ability to variations in fluency than from graphomotor skills. Furthermore, selective attention predicted handwriting fluency only, and it partially mediated the influence of graphomotor skills. This study further demonstrates that handwriting legibility and fluency are separable and complex skills, each differentially related to spelling, motor, and attentional abilities even in later primary school years.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Introduction: The formation and the development of graphomotor skills in children with language deficits in primary school age is a difficult and long process, and its disturbance leads to serious ...problems not only with the process of literation but also disrupt purely academical learning. Purpose: The aim of our study is to show the level of formation of graphomotor skills in children with language deficits in primary school age before and after the implementation of a system of therapeutic techniques, approaches and methods based on both the world's and Bulgarian's experience in the area of therapy of disturbance in graphomotor skills. Material and Method: The study encompasses a total of 40 children in primary school, aged 7-8, who were subjected to logopedic therapy aimed to overcome difficulties in graphomotor skills. It was conducted for a period of 5 years. The therapy was done either individually or in groups of 2 children. Results: The data from test 1 and test 2 show development and maturation of structures in the left hemisphere: frontoparietal and basal temporal, responsible for functioning of the spatial orientation and ideomotor apraxia. For this reason the 7-8 years age group can be considered sensible for development of graphomotor skills as a component of formation of the written form of language and is especially suitable for intensive logopedic therapy aimed for its formation. Conclusion: The implemented therapeutic techniques during the logopedic therapy are aimed not only for establishing the occulo-spacial orientation but also for formation and development of language competence, which are directly linked to formation of the written form of language.
Understanding number magnitude is an important prerequisite for children’s mathematical development. One early experience that contributes to this understanding is the common practice of finger ...counting. …. Accordingly, children need sufficient fine motor skills (FMS) to successfully count on their fingers. However, the role that different types of FMS (such as dexterity and graphomotor skills) might play in the development of finger-based number representations is still unknown. In the current study, the authors investigated (a) whether children’s FMS … are associated with their emerging finger-based number representations (ordinal and cardinal), (b) whether FMS explain variance in children’s finger-based number representations beyond the influence of general cognitive skills, and (c) whether the association between FMS and numerical skills is mediated by finger-based representations. The authors tested associations between preschool children’s … FMS …, finger-based number representations, and numerical skills. Furthermore, visuo-spatial working memory and nonverbal intelligence were controlled for. Dexterity was related to children’s finger-based number representations as well as numerical skills after controlling for chronological age, but not after also controlling for cognitive skills. Moreover, the relationship between dexterity and numerical skills was mediated by finger-based number representations. No such associations were observed for graphomotor skills. These results suggest that dexterity plays a role in children’s development of finger-based number representations, which in turn contribute to their numerical skills. Possible explanations are discussed. (Orig.).
We sought to identify, the impact of handwriting skills on the efficiency and temporal course of word spelling across Grades 2-9. Eighty-four students, drawn from primary and lower secondary schools, ...were asked to perform a dictation task to assess their word spelling. They also had to write out the letters of the alphabet, as well as their firstnames and surnames, from memory to assess their handwriting skills. Handwriting kinematics were recorded using a digitizing tablet and a computer running Eye and Pen software. Results revealed that graphomotor skills (as assessed by the name writing task) influenced the success and temporal course of spelling, but only in primary grades, whereas the influence of orthographic knowledge (as assessed by the alphabet task) could still be observed in the lower secondary grades, even if it ceased to influence the temporal course and only affected errors. We discuss what these findings tell us about changes in transcription processes over the course of child development.
Objective: The effectiveness of occupational therapy school programme through collaborative practice was test in pre-writing skills and the participation in school. Methods: A randomized controlled ...trial in 4 to 5-year-old students with and without disability at three ordinary schools in Alicante. The control group will participate in the ordinary literacy programme and the intervention group will be involved in an occupational therapy pre- writing programme that lasts 3 months consisting of 36 sessions. The pre-writing skills are evaluated with the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities, and the participation in the school with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 Checklist. Discussion: To generate evidence to justify the benefits in the participation in the school that pre-writing programs could provide, implemented by occupational therapists in the school environment.
Objetivos: comprobar la efectividad de un programa escolar de terapia ocupacional mediante la práctica colaborativa de habilidades de preescritura y participación en el ámbito escolar. Métodos: ensayo clínico controlado y aleatorizado en alumnado de 4-5 años en tres escuelas ordinarias de Alicante. El grupo no intervenido recibirá un programa ordinario de lecto-escritura y el grupo intervenido participará en un programa de preescritura desde terapia ocupacional de tres meses de duración, con un total de 36 sesiones. Las habilidades de preescritura serán evaluadas a través de la batería de pruebas McCarthy y la participación en el ámbito escolar a través del Listado de Observación Conductual de la Batería de Evaluación del Movimiento para Niños-2. Discusión: generar evidencia para justificar los beneficios en la participación en el ámbito escolar que pueden aportar programas de preescritura, implementados desde terapia ocupacional en el ámbito escolar.
Deficits in fine motor coordination have been suggested to be associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, despite the negative impact of poor fine motor skills on ...academic achievement, researchers have paid little attention to this problem. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between ADHD dimensions and fine motor performance.
Participants were 43 children with a diagnosis of ADHD aged between 7 and 14 years (M=9.61; 81% male) and 42 typically developing (TP) children in the same age range (M=10.76; 75.2% male).
Children with ADHD performed worse than TP on all tasks (δFine_motor_tasks, −0.19 to −0.44). After controlling for age and ADHD-HY (hyperactivity/impulsivity), higher scores on ADHD-IN (inattentiveness) predicted a larger number of mistakes among all psychomotricity tasks and conditions (β 0.39–0.58, ps<0.05).
The ADHD group showed poorer fine motor performance than controls across all fine motor coordination tasks. However, lower performance (more mistakes), was related to the inattention dimension but not to the hyperactivity/impulsivity dimensions. Authors recommend including training and enhancement of the fine motor skills for more comprehensive ADHD treatment.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
9.
No Motor Costs of Physical Education with Eduball Cichy, Ireneusz; Kruszwicka, Agnieszka; Przybyla, Tomasz ...
International journal of environmental research and public health,
11/2022, Volume:
19, Issue:
23
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Numerous neuroscience studies demonstrate that when motor and cognitive tasks are performed simultaneously, there is dual-task interference. Experiments show that the cost is a temporal deterioration ...in motor functioning. However, there is no comprehensive research on the developmental costs of dual-task exercises incorporated into physical education (PE). Such an approach is called the interdisciplinary model of PE and is used to stimulate cognitive development. Therefore, there is a knowledge gap regarding the motor costs of methods based on this model, e.g., Eduball. The Eduball method integrates core academic subjects with PE using a set of educational balls printed with letters, numbers, and other signs. To fill this knowledge gap, we replicated the Eduball experiment, focusing on motor development. The half-year intervention occurred in one primary school class. The control group was a peer class participating in traditional PE, not based on dual tasks. We tested students' space-time orientation and graphomotor, locomotor, and object control skills. We found no motor costs of the intervention. Eduball-based PE stimulated motor development as much as traditional PE. Our study suggests that methods based on the interdisciplinary model of PE are safe for motor development. As such, it is worth considering their use in children's education.
Motor deficiencies are observed in a large number of children with ADHD. Especially fine motor impairments can lead to academic underachievement, low self-esteem and frustration in affected children. ...Despite these far-reaching consequences, fine motor deficiencies have remained widely undertreated in the ADHD population. The aim of this review was to systematically map the evidence on existing training programs for remediating fine motor impairments in children with ADHD and to assess their effectiveness.
The scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. In March 2020, PsycINFO, MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Google Scholar and The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for evidence. The eligibility criteria and the data charting process followed the PICO framework, complemented by study design. The investigated population included children with a formal ADHD diagnosis (either subtype) or elevated ADHD symptoms aged between 4 and 12 years, both on and off medication. All training interventions aiming at improving fine motor skills, having a fine motor component or fine motor improvements as a secondary outcome were assessed for eligibility; no comparators were specified.
Twelve articles were included in the final report, comprising observational and experimental studies as well as a review. Both offline and online or virtual training interventions were reported, often accompanied by physical activity and supplemented by training sessions at home. The training programs varied in length and intensity, but generally comprised several weeks and single or multiple training sessions per week. All interventions including more than one session were effective in the treatment of fine motor deficiencies in children with ADHD and had a wide range of additional positive outcomes. The effects could be maintained at follow-up.
Fine motor training in children with ADHD can be very effective and multiple approaches including specific fine motor and cognitive training components, some kind of physical activity, feedback mechanisms, or multimodal treatments can be successful. Training programs need to be tailored to the specific characteristics of the ADHD population. A mHealth approach using serious games could be promising in this context due to its strong motivational components.
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