This study examined the relationship of crossing the midline while reaching for objects to the development of bimanual reaching among infants ages 12, 18, and 26 weeks. Findings indicated that the frequency of two-hand grabbing and the number of midline reaches increased with age; most midline reaches were part of two-handed reaches and occurred…

This study examined elbow angle during a fine motor task (threading a needle), in the context of positions used in preclinical training exercises and assumed by practitioners performing dental procedures. The 101 subjects tended to choose an obtuse angle (mean of 125 degrees) and to vary this angle only slightly in repeated trials. (DB)

Consistently over the three test situations, initial left-handedness' gives way during the third quarter of the first year to right-hand dominance. The way in which the shift occurs lends support to a maturational, rather than a learning or social pressure explanation of lateral asymmetry. (Author/CB)

Evaluated 9-, 14-, and 19-month olds' strategies as they grasped and used spoons presented with the handle alternately oriented to left or right. Found that younger children reached with their preferred hand, disregarding the item's orientation. Older children anticipated the problem, alternated the hand used, and achieved an efficient radial grip…

Describes writing as a complex process requiring cooperation of cognitive, perceptual, and motor activities. Examines current trends in handwriting instruction and Montessori's approach to handwriting instruction. Describes the indirect preparation through Montessori materials and a direct teaching approach involving a simplification of the…

Recent work on the development of the perceptual information-seeking function of the hand in relation to its motor-executive function is reviewed. (PCB)

Influential factors on the elementary students' proficiency in the fundamental skill of catching include: ball size, ball and background color, ball velocity, adjustive movements, and trajectory angle. (CJ)

In order to understand learners and players in relation to environments typically found in sport, it is necessary to first understand the individual as an information processor who must sample information from the environment, interpret it, organize or select an appropriate motor response, and execute that response. One of the most difficult…

A 10-week practicum intervention was designed to reduce deficiencies in 10 kindergarten children in southwest Florida with poor fine motor skills. The intervention consisted of daily instruction and weekly activity tests. Activities included drawing, tracing, cutting with scissors, pasting, molding with clay, various games, lacing, weaving, and…

An understanding of the stages involved in children's development of sensory motor integration would aid in the creation of instructional strategies in physical education. These strategies would optimize both the child's physical coordination and creative development by increasing the correlation between the demands of a learning environment and…

The purpose of the study was to determine whether particular aspects of movement control influenced the performance of 2-year-old children on a standard developmental test, and thus influenced assessments of intellectual progress based on that test. Six cerebral-palsied (CP) children were compared with six children not suffering motor system…

This manual provides vocational instructors in public schools with standardized procedures in the form of a Vocational Education Readiness Test (VERT) for assessing the vocational potential of educable mentally handicapped (EMR) secondary school students. The various stages of VERT's development are traced: (1) visits with vocational trade…

Describes several tests for determining dominance of children's hands, eyes, feet, and thumbs. Discusses the relationship between hemispheric brain dominance and dominant sides of the body. Suggests that raising questions about generalizations can lead to new learning. (TW)

A resource and activity guide for the developmentally disabled that focuses on fine motor skills is presented. Attention is directed to fine motor behavior during the first year (vision, grasp, and release and reaching), and behaviors developing at 13 months (the interaction of fine motor and cognitive skills). An introductory section considers…

Intended for parents, the manual contains suggestions for play and games with visually impaired children. Parents are advised to tell the children what they are doing and using while engaged in activities, to increase their knowledge of the world and of themselves. Ideas span eight areas: body awareness (touching body parts while naming them);…