Early intervention approaches for facilitating motor development in infants and children with Down syndrome have traditionally emphasised the acquisition of motor milestones. As increasing evidence suggests that motor milestones have limited predictive power for long-term motor outcomes, researchers have shifted their focus to understanding the…

Motor control has long been associated with language skill, in deficits, both acquired and developmental, and in typical development. Most evidence comes from limb praxis however; the link between oral motor control and speech and language has been neglected, despite the fact that most language users talk with their mouths. Oral motor control is…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a creative movement program on gross motor skills of preschool children. Sixty children between the ages of 3 to 5 were drawn from the population of a preschool in Taichung, Taiwan. An experimental pretest-posttest control-group design was utilized. The children enrolled in the…

The author notes that teachers who continually require students to sit still and stop talking apparently prefer to teach a grove of trees rather than a classroom full of students. School environments should be designed to enhance the development of student brains -- and student brains are about movement, not motionless stagnation. 21st century…

The benefits of movement are enhanced when children with disabilities move with their nondisabled peers. This study sought to determine the effects of a motor development training program on child care providers in order to promote movement-based activities and perceived competence in this area. Twenty child care providers were assigned to either…

Studies comparing neuromotor and mental functioning of normal and disabled populations have shown that lower cognitive functioning is significantly related to lower motor functioning for retarded or disabled children but not for normal children. In an effort to further examine the relationship between these two functions, a study was conducted of…

Unintentional movement "overflow" between the hands or "mirror movements" are common in young children, but are generally regarded as indicative of developmental delay in older children. This study was designed to investigate mirror movements in a sample of 23 very poor readers, ages 11-13, with learning disabilities, and in a…

In a study of 2,546 Georgia children, researchers have established state norms for 8 measures of physical fitness at 3 grade levels. Motor test score percentile rankings for boys and girls in the second, fourth, and sixth grades are given (in 22 tables) for the following tests: (1) jump and reach; (2) sit ups; (3) shape-o-ball (measuring shape…

This booklet presents educational programs and activities for perceptual training of 4- to 9-year-olds and older children with learning and reading problems. The development of visual and auditory perception needs to be understood as closely related to and dependent upon other developmental areas, including motor, language, thinking, emotional,…

The 36 papers in this book were presented at the Fifth International Symposium on Adapted Physical Activity. Presentations document some of the research findings and new ideas in physical education and recreation programs designed to improve the quality of life for special populations. The collection represents the breadth of the field, from the…

Results of comprehensive needs assessments conducted in 1980 and 1988 were compared relative to appropriate physical education for handicapped students as mandated by PL 94-142. A direct, self-report methodology was used covering various dimensions of teacher needs. Although there was a significant improvement of the teachers who had served on a…

The report describes the development and field testing of the Early Social-Communication Scales (ESCS), a measure intended to reflect developmental dimensions of the at-risk infant's and toddler's adaptive interactions. The ESCS was designed to assess three major communicative functions (social interaction, joint attention, and behavior…

Findings are presented from a study designed to develop a physical education criterion reference test (CRT) and to devise norms for intellectually normal, educable mentally impaired, and trainable mentally impaired students (3-12 years old). The lack of valid and reliable CRT batteries for meeting the physical education needs of handicapped…

This guide to the primary education program was developed for use in kindergartens in Duval County Public Schools, Jacksonville, Florida. An overview of the program is followed by a section on preplanning, which deals with curriculum planning, classroom arrangement, centers and materials, classroom management, themes for the year, lesson plans for…

Before discussing the development of skills for playing elementary school physical education games, this document lists basic assumptions about children, movement education, games, and elementary school physical education. Four basic concepts, which are common to all team games, are identified: (1) use of personal and moving space and finding…