The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the game-based training program on fundamental movement skills (FMS) and working memory (WM) in male children with Down syndrome. Twenty-one children ages 9 to 11 years were assigned to either a Game-Based Training (GBT) or No-Training (NT) group. The GBT group participated in 12 sessions…

The Child Focused Injury Risk Screening Tool (ChildFIRST) aims to measure movement competence and lower-limb-injury risk in 8-12-year-old children. Although the ChildFIRST has face and content validity evidence, stronger validity evidence is warranted. We tested the concurrent validity of the ChildFIRST using motion analysis, and the convergent…

The dynamics of mastering the degrees of freedom in motor learning are still far from being understood. The present work explored coordination dynamics in a redundant task, relating it to performance and adaptation in a serial stimulus tracking task. One hundred and sixty-three children (10-14 years of age) continuously responded to sequential…

Environmental characteristics of kindergartens are important for the development of kindergarten-aged children. However, knowledge of the role of kindergarten play environments in developing children's fundamental movement skills is limited. A pilot study was carried out to compare the fundamental movement skills of 3.5- to 5-year-old children in…

Most research on early language learning focuses on the objects that infants see and the words they hear in their daily lives, although growing evidence suggests that motor development is also closely tied to language development. To study the real-time behaviors required for learning new words during free-flowing toy play, we measured infants'…

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to (a) summarize methodological characteristics of studies examining vocal characteristics of infants at high risk for neurological speech motor involvement and (b) report the state of the high-quality evidence on vocal characteristic trends of infants diagnosed or at high risk for cerebral palsy…

Playing the violin demands highly skilled motor performance, including advanced bimanual coordination and controlled, independent movement of fingers. Through existing literature, the current study aims to demonstrate how young children's motor development relates to the motor demands of violin playing, specifically the demands on the left hand,…

This study's objective was to examine whether the relationship between actual motor competence and physical activity (PA) in children is mediated by perceived motor competence (PMC) and physical activity enjoyment. The participants consisted of a total of 167 students (male = 92, female = 75) in 10 different schools in the fourth grade of primary…

Impairments in joint attention are considered core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are crucial for early assessment and intervention. However, existing information about visual attention during joint attention and its relation to developmental functioning is limited. The current study investigated the visual attention differences…

Indoor and outdoor home space may support physical activity (PA) and enhance motor skills (MS). However, there is limited knowledge about how indoor and outdoor home space affect PA and MS parent-child dyads. This cross-sectional study examined whether indoor and outdoor home spaces affect PA and MS in children and their parents. MS was measured…

Purpose: To analyze associations between physical activity (PA) during school hours and fundamental movement skills (FMS) of young children with and without PE classes. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 201 children of both sexes (102 girls, 50.7%), aged 3-5 years old (4.51 ± 0.79), who were engaged (n = 129) or not (n = 72) in physical…

Gender stereotype threat is a sociocultural variable that has received significant attention over the past two decades. We explored whether presenting a task as a practical and challenging activity would reduce the negative impact of implicit activation of gender stereotype threat on motor learning in adolescent girls. Forty-five adolescent girls…

The first years of life are an optimal time for developing motor competence. However, the evidence regarding motor competence in early childhood is fragmented and needs to be clearly synthesized and presented. To establish effective evidence-based decision making in research, practice, and policy for the early years, this expert statement, on…

Recent metascience suggests that motor behavior research may be underpowered, on average. Researchers can perform a priori power analyses to ensure adequately powered studies. However, there are common pitfalls that can result in underestimating the required sample size for a given design and effect size of interest. Critical evaluation of power…

Children are being introduced to organized sports programs at younger ages today. The first experience sets the stage for how they may view their physical competency and acceptance within a group. In these experiences, frequently, the coach is a well-intended parent who may not have any background in coaching or physical education training. Dr.…