The movement skill abilities of fourteen children with autism were assessed on three movement tasks: the overhand throw, kick and horizontal jump. Skill level was assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Correlations were calculated to determine the relationship between these two measures on all skill items. / A Generalizability Analysis was conducted to determine the minimal conditions required to observe reliably the movement skills of children with autism. The conditions generalized in this study were observers and trials. / The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between quantitative and qualitative measures on the horizontal jump and the kick. A correlation of.37 was obtained for the overhand throw, but was not considered significant. Results of the generalizability analysis indicated that reliable results were obtained with one observer and one trial for all three skill items.

Motor planning was assessed by performance of 10 male children (age range 9-12 years) with ASD on a simple obstacle course of horizontal barriers. The primary measures of motor planning were acts of hesitation and hesitation time. These measures, along with executive functioning scores from the BRIEF, and measures of movement execution were correlated to assess the validity of this obstacle course. Results of these correlations supported the validity of the motor planning inferences from the performance of the obstacle course since motor planning correlated in the expected directions with the BRIEF scores and movement execution measures. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was sufficiently high to support the reliability of this obstacle course, with the item analysis providing direction for the most reliable barrier heights. Therefore, the use of this obstacle course task provides both valid inferences and reliable measures of motor planning, although further development is warranted.

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No description available.

[Tuncated abstract] Previous research has shown that associated movements (AMs) decrease with age in typically developing children. However, considerable variability has been found to exist between children of the same chronological age (Wolff et al., 1983; Largo et al., 2001) and the reasons for this variability are unclear. As AMs are considered to be a construct of motor behaviour it is possible that varying levels of motor ability may contribute to this variability. Only a few studies have investigated the relationship between motor ability and AM expression, and those have resulted in equivocal findings. Therefore, the aim of the first study in this research project was to investigate the relationship between motor ability and AMs using a large sample of normative children (N=165). Group 1 consisted of 19 boys and 33 girls in school year 1 with a mean age of 6 years and 4 months (SD = 4 months); Group 2 consisted of 28 boys and 29 girls in school year 3 with a mean age of 8 years and 3 months (SD = 3 months); and Group 3 consisted of 27 boys and 29 girls in school year 5 with a mean age of 9 years 11 months (SD = 5 months). Motor ability was established using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND) (McCarron, 1982). Associated movements were measured using tasks adapted from the Zurich Neuromotor Assessment (Largo et al., 2002), the Fog Test (Fog & Fog, 1963), and Licari et al. (2006). '...' The second study in this research project continued to explore the relationship between motor ability and AMs by investigating whether increased severity of AMs previously reported in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Denckla & Rudel, 1978; Lazarus, 1994; Mostofsky et al., 2003) is reflective of symptoms associated with the disorder or movement difficulties co-occurring in some children with the disorder. Four groups of children participated in the study. Group 1 consisted of 13 children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) with a mean age of 7 years 3 months (SD = 9 months); Group 2 consisted of 13 children with ADHD with a mean age of 7 years 4 months (SD = 11 months); Group 3 consisted of 10 children with co-occurring DCD and ADHD with a mean age of 7 years 4 months (SD = 10 months); and, Group 4 was a normative sample 15 control children. The children undertook the same AM assessment protocol outlined for Study 1. The AM data was entered into the RUMM 2020 and person location estimates (Rasch AM scores) were created for each child based on the person location map from Study 1. A comparison of AM scores between the groups revealed that the DCD and DCD/ADHD groups showed significantly more (p <0.001) AMs than the children in the ADHD and control groups. No significant differences were found between children in the DCD and DCD/ADHD groups (p = 0.19) or the ADHD and control groups (p = 0.67). The findings of this research show that increased expression of AMs is not influenced by the symptoms of ADHD. In addition, the finding that increased expression of AMs in children with DCD extends the findings from Study 1 showing that AM expression is linked to motor ability. Overall this research has enhanced the understanding of a unique measure of motor behaviour.

Thesis (MScPhysio)--Stellenbosch University, 2004 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background: Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been reported to have motor proficiency problems. Few studies have established the extent of these motor problems and few studies investigate both gross and fine motor proficiency. The studies which do investigate motor proficiency, often also include other aspects, for example physical fitness, grip strength or kinaesthesia. It is important to be able to identify motor proficiency deficit in this population group early for appropriate intervention to be as effective as possible. The first step in this process is to identify the areas of motor proficiency deficits experienced by these children. Study Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study was done. Objective: The main aim of this study was to establish if children with ADHD demonstrate motor proficiency problems. A second aim was to identify in which areas of motor proficiency they have the most problems. Method: A sample of 28 boys and 9 girls (n = 37) children with ADHD, between the ages of six and ten, were identified by the medical practitioners at four school clinics in the Cape Metropole. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency was used to test the children. The demographic and other factors that could have affected the motor proficiency in these children were recorded. Results: The range, mean and standard deviation were calculated for all the subtests and the three composite scores. Eighty-one percent of children scored below the expected norm on the Battery Composite Score (20th percentile) with the difference in age equivalent scores being significantly different (p < 0.01), the Gross Motor Composite Score (20th percentile and p < 0.01) and on the Running Speed and Agility Subtest (p < 0.01), the Balance Subtest (p < 0.01), Strength Subtest (p < 0.01) and the Upper Limb Coordination Subtest (p < 0.01). No significant motor proficiency problems were identified in the Fine Motor Composite Score (35th percentile), the Bilateral Coordination Subtest, the Response Speed Subtest, the Visual motor Subtest or the Visual Motor Control Subtest. Conclusions: These results support the literature in so far as motor proficiency deficits are present in children with ADHD, which in turn supports the need for early identification of these problems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agergrond: Kinders met Aandag Afleibaarheid Hiperaktiwiteit Sindroom (ADHD) demonstreer probleme met motoriese vaardighede. 'n Paar studies is gedoen om dié bepaalde motoriese vaardighede te bepaal en sommige studies kombineer die ondersoek met ander aspekte van motoriese vaardigheid soos, fiksheid, greep sterkte of kinestesie. Dit is belangrik om die tekortkominge vroeg te identifiseer om effektiewe intervensie so vroeg moontlik te inisieer. Die eerste stap is om die spesifieke vaardighede waarmee hierdie groep kinders probleme ondervind, te identifiseer. Studie: 'n Dwarssnit beskrywende studie is uitgevoer. Doel: Die doel van die studie was om te bepaal of kinders met ADHD motoriese probleme het en of daar spesifieke aspekte van motoriese vaardigheid is waar hulle tekortkominge toon. Metodiek: 'n Steekproef van 28 seuns en 9 dogters (n = 37) tussen die ouderdomme van ses tot tien jaar, met ADHD is deur die mediese praktisyns geïdentifiseer, en getoets. Die Bruininks- Oseretsky Toets vir Motoriese Vaardigheid is gebruik. Enige faktore wat motoriese vaardigheid kon beïnvloed is gedokumenteer. Resultate: Die reikwydte, gemiddelde en standaard afwyking is bereken vir al die sub-toetse en die drie saamgestelde tellings. Een en tagtig persent van die kinders het tellings onder die verwagte norm behaal vir die Saamgestelde Telling van die Battery van toetse (20ste persentiel) met die verskil in ouderdomtelling beduidend verskillend (p<O.01).Die Growwe Motoriese Saamgesteldetelling was (20ste persentiel en p<O.01), die Hardloopspoed- en Ratsheidsubtoets (p<O.01), die Balanssubtoets (p<O.01), Kragsubtoets (p<O.01) en die Boonste Ledemaat Koordinasie-subtoets (p<O.01). Geen beduidende tekorte is deur middel van die Saamgestelde Fyn Motoriese Vaardigheidstoetse (3Sste persentiel), die Bilaterale Koordinasiesubtoets, die Reaksiespoed-subtoets, die Visuele Motoriese subtoets of die Visuele Motoriese Beheer-subtoets gevind nie. Gevolgtrekkings: Die resultate ondersteun die bevindinge uit die literatuur rakende die probleme wat kinders met ADHD met motoriese vaadigheid ervaar en ondersteun die behoefte vir vroeë identifisering om effektiewe intervensie so vroeg moontlik te begin.

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Psychology

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Bibliography: leaves 208-219 / x, 219 leaves : ill ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Psychology, 1992

In view of the current use of the Carolina Curriculum for Preschoolers with Special Needs (Carolina) as an alternative to the widely used Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development (Brigance) for assessing the motor development of preschool aged children, a study was undertaken to establish the validity of the Carolina using the Brigance as a criterion test. A sample of 2 7 preschool special education children ranging in age from 36 to 71 months from three categories-learning handicapped (LH), severely handicapped (SH) and severely handicapped Down's Syndrome children (SHD)-were assessed by an adapted physical education specialist. Each subject was evaluated on two separate days within one week using the Carolina and the Brigance. The subjects were also evaluated concurrently by their classroom teachers using a Teacher Observation check sheet prepared by the adapted physical education specialist. Correlation coefficients using the developmental age scores obtained on the three test instruments and the correlations comparing the three categories to each test instrument ranged from .90 to .98 (r. (25) = .486, p < .01 ). These findings offered strong support for the concurrent validity of the Carolina. Additional analysis of the data using a 3 x 3 ANOVA for repeated measures resulted in a significant F ratio for the dependent variable of functional level, E (2,24) = 4.82, p = 0.174. The Sheffe post hoc analysis procedure indicated a statistically significant difference between the LH and the SHD categories. vi