This study examined parental perception of the importance of friendship and five other educational outcomes from 101 Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorders between the ages of 3 and 12 years. Results showed Chinese parents considered friendship less important than social skills, emotional development, and physical skills and…

Stunting has been negatively associated with children's development. We examined the range of height by testing hypotheses: (a) height is positively associated with children's development, with associations moderated by inflammation and (b) home environments characterized by nurturance and early learning opportunities is positively associated with…

Children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) have been shown to improve their motor performance with sufficient practice. However, little is known about how they learn goal-oriented tasks. In the current study, 21 children with unilateral CP (age 4-10 years old) and 21 age-matched typically developed children (TDC) practiced a simple bimanual…

The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) is one of the most accepted tools, both in clinical practice and in research, for the diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorders (DCDs) in children. The present study aimed to: (1) establish the construct validity of M-ABC in Israel by comparing the motor performance of typically…

The purpose of this study was to compare measures of body size in two samples of youth baseball players with normative data from the United States National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) growth charts. One sample of youth baseball players participated in a local little league. The second sample of youth baseball players were members of eight…

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…

Theory and practice in education are interrelated and interdependent. The credibility of any set of postulates depends upon how well the position holds up in practice. There are three ways we can utilize theory in practice: (1) to reexamine our traditional approaches; (2) to give some direction to our future practices; and (3) to generate…

This article describes Success in Physical Activity, a program for students with autism. The program, based on adaptations of the Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communications-Handicapped Children (TEACCH) recreational structure program, focuses on two areas: physical fitness and motor ability. (Contains seven references.)…

A motor performance typology of boys and girls (ages 6-10 years) was developed, based on four factors extracted by factor analysis from data on 47 physical growth and motor performance variables. Nineteen variables which best described the four factor-defined components were used in formulating the person-clusters (typologies) following Tryon's…

This study was undertaken to compare the motor performance age and race differences between black and caucasian boys ages six to nine. One hundred and twenty subjects were administered 25 test items which measured (a) muscular strength, (b) muscular endurance, (c) cardio-respiratory endurance, (d) speed, (e) power, (f) agility, (g) balance, and…

Compared were the perceptual and gross motor abilities of 30 mentally retarded and 25 nonretarded 10- to 12-year-old children. Performance data on such motor tasks as the agility run, 20-yard dash, obstacle course, and target hop were recorded, with separate data for the retarded Ss on the basis of etiological classification (Down's Syndrome,…

The University of Massachusetts has designed a preschool laboratory gym program for 2 1/2 - 5 year olds to encourage the development of a wide range of abilities, specifically, to provide practice in climbing, balancing, hanging, jumping, running, sliding, swinging, and ball handling. (JMF)

A study of 16 children (ages 4 and 7 years) and 8 young adults used an "Optotrak" system to study patterning and stability of speech movements in developing speech motor systems. Results indicate that nonlinear and nonuniform changes occur in components of the speech motor system during development. (Author/CR)

Some of the more frequently observed reflex patterns in cerebral palsy are examined, and descriptions are given of how they affect movement. A chart outlines: (1) desirable movement patterns; (2) typical abnormal movement of the cerebral palsied child; (3) possible physical cause of abnormal movements; and (4) activities which may facilitate…