The underlying structure of the motor abilities represented by the "Short Form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency," along with the consistency of the emerging factors by sex and two chronological age (CA) levels, were studied with 765 nondisabled children 4.6 to 14.6 years old. (Author/SEW)

While for 31 trainable mentally handicapped children and for 31 nonhandicapped, there were no differences in static balance on left or right legs, total balance time was significantly different between the two groups. This confirms prior work which related motor proficiency to intelligence. (Author/RD)

The importance of learning new movement skills is shown in relation to learning folk dances. Folk dancing not only improves physical skills, but also results in an understanding and appreciation of the richness of other cultures. (JN)

Teaching implications for the instruction of mentally retarded persons in the skill of overarm throwing are provided. A sequence is described that allows instructors to observe both body part actions (components) and whole body patterns (profiles), which makes it amenable to the task analysis approach. (JN)

Children from three to six years of age were tested to determine the relationship of age and sex to motor performance. Tests involved balancing, scrambling, catching, speed running, long jumping, and ball throwing. Although significant age and sex differences were found, it appeared that age generally was more closely related to performance than…

The physical educator or teacher-coach needs to be able to analyze body movement, understand movement patterns, and be aware of factors which affect performance. Types of body movement analyses include kinematic analysis and kinetic analysis. Factors affecting skill performance fall into physiological, psycho-sociological, and environmental…

Three questions are discussed concerning this test: for what population is it appropriate; what is its purpose; and what are the qualifications required for proper administration and interpretation? It is concluded that it is a useful test, but caution is appropriate in answering the three questions. (CTM)

A comprehensive activity program requires a conceptual framework to guide appropriate curriculum design. An understanding of motor development and of the ways physical settings interact with the learning child are essential to program construction. (JN)

Compared lateral preference patterns for normal and learning-disabled children. Results indicated that learning-disabled children were more bilateral on factors involving visually fine motor activity, listening, and fine motor foot preference. Also studied the verbal-spatial abilities of learning-disabled children classified as normal or…

The programed instruction was validated with 40 multiply impaired blind children in nine facilities in a 16-week field test. The experimental group using the programed instructional materials demonstrated significant overall performance gains over a control group. (Author/DLS)

The shaping of human motor development is demonstrated by the orderly sequence of events which occur throughout the individual's development process. Muscular strength and proficiency in gross motor skills improve with advancing chronological age throughout childhood and adolescence, with sex differences in performance tending to favor males. (JN)

The author cites these benefits of music to the visually handicapped student: physiological music activities enhance psychomotor coordination and promote relaxation and the ability to cope with frustration; participation in music events encourages interaction with sighted peers. Organizations providing music instructional materials for the…

Children have a need and a right to active, movement-oriented play. With the aid of an imaginative parent, such play can assist in the maturation of a child's cognitive ability and serve as a means of developing basic motor skills. (LH)