PerceptualMotorDevelopment

Perceptual Motor
Development

Characteristic
Involves children during preschool to primary grades; usually ages 21/2 to 6.
Combines movement abilities with academics (reading,writing,language, math) Engages children in movement activities that integrates perception and movement.

Perceptual Motor Development
Researchers have difficulty defining this term but perceptual-motor, sensory-motor processes and their effect upon growth, development, and learning has been extensive studied.
Perceptual motor development is based on the works of Piaget, Gesell, and
Montessori.

Empirical Research
• Importance of active movement for optimal motor development
– Held & Hein dark environment study with
Kittens indicated that active kittens acquired normal depth perception versus inactive.
– Individuals must attend to objects that move in order to develop normal spatial skills
(Motion Hypothesis)

Sensory Motor Process
• Brain’s need for sensory stimulation is needed to function adequately.
• Importance of sensory stimulation to develop is well supported.
-Typical grow and development trends follows a sequence of events. The child passes through developmental stages through interaction with the environment. The environment provided the sensory stimulation to which the child adapts in order to grow & develop (Moore, 1969).

Sensory-Motor Simulation
• Ayres (1972) contends that inadequate sensory integration accounts for some aspect of learning disorders. -Sensory integrative therapy has become popular as a intervention used primarily by occupational therapists.
Piaget (1952) wrote that children develop through sensory experiences of tactile (touch), kinesthetic, visual, and auditory modalities which later forms the child’s perception….sensory experiences are a necessary part of the total development of an individual.

Kepart’s Contention
The feedback process necessary for correcting errors in movement was faulty in children with learning disabilities.
Participation in basic forms of movement would help the feedback problems and consequently improve the child’s learning of academic skills, such as reading and spelling. Delacato’s Contention
Involvement in certain forms of movement behavior facilitates intellectual development.
Key element was the development of hemispheric dominance through the process know as patterning. Patterning was where the patient would practice a skill they missed or be passively be assisted through movements which lacked hemispheric dominance. Researching the Contentions of
Kepart & Delacato
• Meta-analysis of 180 studies indicated that:
– Children improved slightly in their cognitive ability when involved in a perceptual motor program.
– Perceptual motor program as in intervention to directly improve the child’s intelligence later in life was not support

• Many educators believe that a perceptual-motor program is an excellent medium through which reading, spelling, math, social studies, or math can be facilitated.

Recent Research
By having your child involved in perceptual-motor skills; they produced positive changes in their motor performance. Perceptual Motor Learning

Tactile
Vision
Audition

Senses

Proprioception
Vestibular
Perceptual-Sensory System

Perception

Perceptual-Motor Process
Feedback

Reception of environmental information

Comparison of Information of present movement to past movement stored in memory

Movement selection

Perceptual (Sensory) Motor
Program
Improvement in the perceptual sensory system occurs through environmental stimulation
Not all activities are perceptual activities
– Only activities involving children in sensory integration
• Improve Balance (Vestibular)
• Spatial Awareness(Understanding external spaces around the child- Audition & Vision)
• Temporal Awareness(Ability to predict when stimuli arrivesall senses)
• Body & Directional Awareness(Ability to knowproproception)

Motor Development Program

Balance
Static Balance
-ability to maintain a desired body posture or position when the body is stationary
Dynamic Balance
-ability to maintain a desired body posture or position when the body is moving.

Balance Training in Older Adults
Wolf (1993,1996) compared 2 types of training programs on balance with older adults (71-81 years of age).
-static balance training (balance platform) -dynamic balance training (t’ai chi)
Results indicated a .63 reduction is risk ratio for falls in the dynamic balance training as opposed to static balance training

Balance Training in adults

Balance Training in Adults

Training Balance in Children
• Static Balance
– Stand on both feet extend your arm, hold an object of different weights, move your arms,
– Stand on one foot extend your arm, hold an object of different weights

• Dynamic Balance
– Walk across a low balance beam with or with object of different weights at slow or fast speeds Balance Training in Children

Awareness (Body Control Skills)
Spatial Awareness-Understanding of the external spaces surrounding an individual and the individual’s ability to function motorically in and through space.
Temporal Awareness-understanding of time relationships such as ability to predict the projectile’s time of arrival.
Body Awareness-developing ability to know and understand names and functions of various body parts Directional awareness- understand and application of laterality and directionality.

Training of Awareness
Location
-Self-space
-General space
-Identify body parts
Directions
-Up/down
-Forward/backward
-Right/left
Levels
Low-Middle-High

Pathways
-Straight
-Curved
-zigzag
Extensions
-Far/near
-Large/Small
Effort
-Fast/slow
-Strong/Light

Activities that Develop Visual
Perception
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Forms & Shapes
Catching,trapping, and striking
Throwing
Locate Objects in space

Activities that Develop
Proprioception
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Recall limb position
Left/Right Discrimination
Levels (UP/Down;Front/Back;Side to Side)
Swimming,skipping,batting
Foot-eye & Hand & Eye activities
Cue children to locate objects on their body • Balance activities

Activities that Develop Auditory
Perception
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Simon Says (Ability to listen)
Child changes direction upon command
Tapping to beat of sound
Moving to the beat of music,sound, or voice Perceptual Motor Program
• Start with easy activities and progress to more difficult (developmentally appropriate) – Low level skills
– Intermediate skills
– High-level skills

• Assess the child regularly on their abilities
• Refine your training based on perceptual motor deficiencies.

Resources
Project Beacon, Fairfax County Public Schools, 10700
Page Avenue, Fairfax, VA.
Motor Control: Theory & Practical Applications. ShumwayCook & Woollacott, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
The important Eary Years, Diem, AAHPER.
Perceptual-Motor Development Guide, Bossenmeyer, Front
Row Experience Pub.
Movement Experiences for Early Childhood, Hammet,
Human Kinetics Pub.
Physical Education Unit Plans for Preschool Kindergarten.
Logsdon, Alleman, Straits,Belka, & Clark. Human
Kinetics Pub.