study aimed to see if a computer based application for motor skill testing had real world practicality. Moulton and Olson (2004) surveyed a group of practicing occupational therapists to see what they thought of the use of weighted vests for improving fine motor skills.
McGinnis (2013) conducted a specialized study of three autistic children to record the effects of deep pressure techniques on their motor skills. Occupational therapists can gain specific and useful methods to use with their pediatric patients by reading these three articles that all had small sample sizes, dealt with the improvement of motor functioning, and had positive outcomes. Using small sample sizes, all three articles were able to focus on the consequences and outcomes for very individualized diagnoses. Though all the data in each article was gathered from narrow samples, the information is valuable due to its individualized nature. Moulton and Olsen (2004) gathered “a convenience sample of 51 pediatric occupational therapists at the 1999 Annual Conference of the American Occupational Therapy Association” (p. 54). While this is a small sample, the individual participants can be considered experts in the pediatric side of occupational therapy, making them reputable. They asked each therapist about their particular patients, breaking them down by diagnosis and by how many …show more content…
children the occupational therapists used weighted vests with. Pergami, Seemaladinne, and Billings (2012) used 40 healthy participants, 18 children and 22 adults, to test a computer based application for motor skill accuracy. This article is not directly related to occupational therapy, but motor skill testing is an important component of devising a therapy plan. While this test is not what occupational therapists use currently, computer based applications such as this will become more prevalent as technology develops. Occupational therapists need to know how to apply these types of computer based applications to their patients to stay current in their practices. McGinnis (2013) performed a very specific experiment, following three autistic children’s progress with motor activities. This data was very specific, since it handled only three children and they all had the same diagnosis of autism. However, studies like this that follow only a few people of the same diagnosis are some of the most important. A diagnosis like autism is a very general guideline. The manifestation of behaviors in autism varies widely based on the individual, the environment, and many other factors. When a study like the one McGinnis (2013) conducted is published, it allows therapists a first-hand look at these variances and how to apply something general, such as the concept of deep pressure, to very individual cases.
All three studies were able to focus on specific outcomes for each individual because the amount of people they followed was small; on the other side, the smallness of the sample sizes make them vulnerable to bias. However, all three articles admit that the sample sizes are too small to generalize the data and suggest further research. While they all admit that their results may not be able to prove trends that hold true for every diagnosis, this specified data is still very important. Occupational therapy is about improving everyday life skills. There are some overarching skills that every person needs to live successfully in society; however, there are going to be differences. Since each individual has a different life, the specific skills they need are going to vary. Individualized data like the type that is provided by each of these studies helps therapists by exposing them to more individual cases. An individual case obviously has variances from what a therapist has been exposed to before, and therefore different practices may be more helpful. Some of these practices may be novel ideas compared to what a therapist currently uses or has seen used in other practices. The more a therapist is exposed to different ways of approaching the same problem, the easier time they will have adapting to new patients with new sets of circumstances.
By looking at the different components that make up a therapy plan for improving motor skills, occupational therapists can learn to incorporate all aspects of therapy into their approach. While one article reviewed testing and the other two articles looked at specific practices, all three articles were able to tackle some aspect of motor skill therapy. Pergami, Seemaladinne, and Billings (2012) were using their study to test motor skill accuracy and whether the test provided enough accurate feedback to be useful. Even though they were not using it for diagnostic purposes in this study, the computer based application could easily be applied to diagnostic situations. If a therapist is already aware of a patient’s particular diagnosis, the computer based application outlined in Pergami, Seemaladinne, and Billings (2012) study would be a useful application in finding flaws in motor functioning. Such a test helps to establish a baseline for motor functioning that a child and therapist could work from. This could help therapists more accurately focus on the part of the motor planning that is breaking down and preventing a child from correctly executing motor tasks. Fine tuning which aspects of motor skills to work on will lead to more effective therapy.
In contrast, McGinnis (2013) and Moulton and Olsen (2004) focused on particular techniques occupational therapists can use in the moment of practice to improve motor skills. McGinnis (2013) studied the technique of deep pressure that occupational therapists can use to improve fine motor skills. This article is a prime example of a specific technique that can immediately improve motor skills. Even if a child continues to struggle, the fact that there are immediate techniques that can help somewhat are a great discovery. Deep pressure, as shown in this article, helps children who may have a hard time regulating their environment calm themselves. With their minds in a calmer state, controlling their bodies and concentrating on tasks in front of them becomes much easier. Moulton and Olson (2004) also focused on an immediate supplemental tool that can be used to increase motor skills. Weighted vests employ the same overall technique as deep pressure-they both are used to increase sensory input for the child so that they feel more concrete in their place in space. Since the children then do not have to worry about whether or not they are connected to their world, they can concentrate on their own body and how to control it. Obviously, this is not a problem that can be fixed instantaneously. Eventually a child will have to learn how to self-regulate without the help of deep pressure, weighted vests, or other people. However, these supplemental tools can be a good first step in teaching children how to independently concentrate and be aware of their bodies. The techniques that McGinnis (2013) and Moulton and Olson (2004) studied in these particular cases can serve as models for other therapists to follow with their own patients.
All three articles saw positive outcomes when they reviewed their results. This suggests that there are many ways to improve motor skills in pediatric occupational therapy. Moulton and Olsen’s (2004) collection of data suggested that regardless of the diagnosis, weighted vests improved concentration, especially during fine motor tasks. Children with diagnoses of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Sensory Integration Disorders improved particularly well with weighted vest use. A caution when reviewing this data is that it does not take into account other factors that may have affected the child, such as their environment, their level of comfort with the therapist, and the overall amount of distraction around them while they attempted to complete tasks. In fact, when interviewed, “therapists believed that weighted vests alone could not have produced the changes in behavior they observed” (Moulton & Olson, 2004, p. 60). Such a point is important to recognize. One change, such as a weighted vest, is not going to magically cure the problems a child is having. The weighted vests must be kept in the context of a supplemental tool, not a cure-all. Though McGinnis (2013) only followed three children, each one has positive progress. There was a direct correlation between adding deep pressure and improved fine motor skills. There were variances in what specific skills were affected, but all lead back to increased motor skills. This is probably because most children felt much more stable and grounded once they had concrete sensory input. Regardless of the technique used, the factor that seemed to help improve skills the most was whether or not the technique increased the child’s feeling of security in their environment. There are surely more techniques to use than the two that were explored in these articles. These two articles in particular help to highlight that there is a variance in techniques that can successfully be used to improve motor skills and coordination.
In the way of testing, Pergami, Seemaladine, and Billings (2012) concluded that the computer based application was effective at accurately predicting motor skill function in both children and adults. In addition, this test does not require any formal training to operate. Of course, the test that was run only used “forty healthy participants including 18 children, age 8-17(mean 12.5)” (p.454). Further research would have to be conducted with the computer based application to see if the results were skewed by the mix of children and adults. It is possible that simply because the adults have more life experience, their motor skills are more fine-tuned, making their reaction times faster. Another study using only children would be useful if such a test could eventually be applied to pediatric practice. There would also have to be further research about the practicality and retest ability of the test when it is administered to special needs children. Would such a test need different subtests based on the suspected diagnosis, or would the test itself help to determine which diagnosis a child should be given? If these concerns are addressed in later research, such a computer based application would be an effective and easily accessible tool for establish a baseline for motor skill function. Such a simple test would be easily explained and used by children, even young children. The earlier a child who is suspected to have some sort of problem with motor function gets tested and diagnosed, the sooner they can receive the appropriate therapy. Early intervention is a key component to helping a child gain and maintain the life skills they need.
These articles help me as an occupational therapy student because they expose me to a variety of practical applications.
For example, McGinnis (2013) looks specifically at children who have Autism Spectrum Disorders and how the application of deep pressure affects them. Knowing how these very specific cases played out will help me better predict how children who have similar disorders will react if deep pressure techniques are employed with them. If I end up working with any children on the spectrum, I may be able to use some of the techniques for deep pressure talked about in this study. Moulton and Olson (2004) also break down the results of using weighted vests by the diagnosis of the children therapists worked with. Again, this breakdown will help me in the future to predict if and how a child will respond to a weighted vest based on their diagnosis. Pergami, Seemaladinne, and Billings (2012) review of the computer based application for motor skill testing is just one example of a diagnostic tool I could use in my future career. Whether it be paper-based, a real world test of skills, or a computer based application such as theirs, occupational therapists frequently run tests to establish a baseline on a variety of skills. They also retest these skills frequently to assess if and what kind of progress their patients are making. If a computer based test specific to occupational therapy and motor functionality does not already occur, I have no doubt that it will become a
standard of practice during the time of my professional career. Understanding the methods, uses, and possible shortcomings of such technological tests will no doubt be a skill I will need in the professional world. All three articles address some aspect of motor skill therapy that I as a therapist will eventually need to be aware of.
I would recommend these articles to other occupational therapists because of the individualized nature of the sample sizes. Each article looks at motor skills from a different angle. Everyone learns and improves differently; by looking at the variety of methods displayed in these three articles, therapists can tailor successful practices to the children they work with. When therapists tailor their techniques to an individual’s strengths and weaknesses, therapy becomes much more effective. Not only that, but when a child is engaged and feels like they are able to make improvement, therapy becomes a positive experience rather than a frustrating one. Since the goal of therapy is to help the patient, it seems pertinent that a therapist knows how to use a variety of techniques to tackle a problem so that the best technique can be employed.