We hypothesized that the difficulties of the child with autism originate from disorders of organization and regulation of actions according to environmental changes. Autism impoverishes general mental representation skills, which are the basis of symbolic play and the development of communication. Twenty-one children with autism were compared with…

Recent experimental research in the field of neurophysiology has led to the discovery of two classes of visuomotor neurons: canonical neurons and mirror neurons. In light of these studies, we propose here an overview of two classical themes in the cognitive science panorama: James Gibson's theory of affordances and Eleanor Rosch's principles of…

Previous research with both brain-damaged and neurologically intact populations has demonstrated that the right cerebral hemisphere (RH) is superior to the left cerebral hemisphere (LH) at detecting anomalies (or incongruities) in objects (Ramachandran, 1995; Smith, Tays, Dixon, & Bulman-Fleming, 2002). The current research assesses whether the RH…

Observing actions and understanding sentences about actions activates corresponding motor processes in the observer-comprehender. In 5 experiments, the authors addressed 2 novel questions regarding language-based motor resonance. The 1st question asks whether visual motion that is associated with an action produces motor resonance in sentence…

After distinguishing between neocortical abilities for executive control and subcortical sensory motor skills for proprioceptive and vestibular integration, we compare a sample of 116 normal preschoolers with a sample of 31 preschoolers receiving occupational therapeutical treatment. This is done in an experimental design controlled for age (mean:…

This book presents a comprehensive and detailed theory of early human development based on the principles of dynamic systems theory. It raises fundamental questions about prevailing assumptions in the field and proposes a new theory of the development of cognition and action, unifying recent advances in dynamic systems theory with current research…

A description is given of an ongoing collaborative research effort consisting of a series of studies with 3- to 5-year-old children, designed for the purpose of: (1) identifying factors contributing to motor learning/performance during the development years, i.e., psychological, sociological, and experiential variables; (2) determining the…

The presuppositions that favor firsthand experience over secondhand information, as pertaining to learning and education, are questioned. It is noted that, when education and firsthand experience are described as if equivalent, a presumption is made that a commonsense theory of knowledge and mind is valid. Research on the social psychology of…

After a brief overview of theory related to motor skill development in children, an update on approaches to motor development assessment and programming is provided. Descriptive/product, process-oriented/diagnostic, process/descriptive, and reflex testing approaches taken in motor ability assessment are reviewed, and some of the strengths and…

An information-processing view of perceptual motor performance holds that the processes involved in perception are organizational and depend on past experiences. In motor tasks which require anticipation, an individual uses past experience to predict what may happen. Yet bias effects in perceptual judgments, including bias caused by contextual…

This booklet explores why movement education is important for preschool children, what activities to include in a program, how and where to conduct a program, and criteria that can help to structure the program environment. The first section presents a rationale for the use of movement education for helping preschool children to develop…

THE EXPERIMENTAL USE OF VIDEO AND TAPE RECORDINGS IN TEACHING THREE NEUROLOGICALLY DISABLED BOYS AGED 8, 9, AND 10 TO READ IS REPORTED. EXPERIENCE CHARTS WERE USED TO PRESENT BOTH UNCONTROLLED AND CONTROLLED VOCABULARY. THREE SPACES VIDEO-TAPED DEMONSTRATIONS WITH THE CHILDREN WERE USED TO DIAGNOSE PROGRESS AND AS MOTIVATIONAL DEVICES. THE…

The measurability of sensorimotor development in 60 severely retarded, institutionalized adults was studied, using the Piagetian concept of object permanence in a delayed recall paradigm that involved special apparatus. Results suggested, among other things, that severely retarded, institutionalized adults learn most efficiently when trained with…

The importance of motor and perceptual learning in the educational process is discussed. It is hypothesized that an internalization of sensory-motor learnings is important to the perceptual and cognitive development of a child. Developmental and corrective motor training by physical educationalists is suggested. It is concluded that although the…