This study evaluated the efficacy of an 8-week (two sessions/week; 60 min/session) adapted soccer intervention on skill performance and retention in 30 adults (18 men and 12 women) ages 17-40 years with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and intellectual disability. Of these 30 participants, 18 completed a 1-month retention test. The program…

Preschoolers and kindergarteners demonstrate rapid growth and change in motor skills, socio-emotional (SE) skills, and academic performance. Data on 250 children with disabilities (CWD) and 250 typically developing children (TDC) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) data set were analyzed to explore the relation…

Children with disabilities often experience gross motor delays. Adults, including parents, can play a crucial role in supporting children's motor development. However, a limited number of research studies have focused on building parents' capacity to support their young children's motor skill development. The purpose of this study was to examine…

Want an innovative way to get young children moving--and support development across multiple domains? Discover CHAMPPS, the fun, effective, and research-based motor program for inclusive preschool classrooms. Filling the need for a school-based motor program designed for children with diverse abilities, CHAMPPS uses universal design for learning…

Background: Fundamental motor skill proficiency is essential for engagement in sports and physical play and in the development of a healthy lifestyle. Children with motor delays (with and without disabilities) lack the motor skills necessary to participate in games and physical activity, and tend to spend more time as onlookers than do their…

Fitness testing is an important assessment tool used by physical educators for many purposes. Some states require fitness testing to monitor individual student progress throughout the school year. Some physical educators use it to monitor the effects of the physical education curriculum and to teach concepts such as goal setting and personal…

Reviewed are 14 studies employing single-subject methodology to investigate the results of interventions to improve developmental functioning in handicapped preschoolers. Interventions included treatments to develop physical responsiveness, increase feeding behavior, and decrease rumination or compulsive vomiting. Knowledge concerning the…

Comments on a study that reported the positive effects of a neurobehavioral intervention approach on motor skills of young children with cerebral palsy. Concludes that, in its current form, the neurobehavioral approach is only an initial step toward developing new methods for addressing challenging developmental concerns. (CR)

This paper lists practices recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood concerning the promotion of motor skills in early intervention and early childhood special education programs for infants and young children with special needs and their families. An introductory section examines the importance of motor…

In educating children with disabilities, training for independence should begin early, and the "technology" may be very simple. This paper lists activities designed to increase gross, fine motor, cognitive, and eye-hand coordination skills needed for independent living. It encourages caregivers to engage young children in active learning…

This book deals with the promotion of body awareness through use of educational gymnastics, with handicapped or non-handicapped but poorly coordinated children of all age levels. The method provides an analytical approach to movement, encourages children to listen to language, and assists them in creating their own activities. The activities and…

The manual presents results and findings of a statewide motor development inservice training project for teachers of exceptional children and provides training modules from the project. Section 1 gives an overview of the structure, philosophy, and procedures of the project. The evaluation plan of the program is described, and the development of…

Comments on a study that reported positive effects of a neurobehavioral-intervention approach on motor skills of young children with cerebral palsy. Discusses problems associated with contrived research situations and urges researchers and practitioners to join together to design and investigate the effects of new interventions. (CR)

This paper focuses on physical education for students in preschool (3 to 5 years) and primary grades K-2 (5 to 7 years). It describes developmentally appropriate practices as a set of indicators for high quality play and motor skills programs for all children, including children with special needs. The paper also describes and recommends an…

The paper describes the Early Childhood Handicapped Program of Kenosha (WI). The program focuses on receptive and expressive language, fine and gross motor skills, self-help skills, cognitive skills, perceptual skills, and social/emotional skills development. For admission into the program, children must exhibit significant delays in two or more…