PT Journal
AU Temple, AV
   Guerra, D
   Larocque, L
   Crane, RJ
   Sloan, E
   Stuart-Hill, L
TI Fundamental motor skills in the first year of school: Associations with prematurity and disability
SO European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity
PY 2017
BP 3
EP 9
VL 10
IS 1
DI 10.5507/euj.2017.001
DE early childhood; physical development; delay
AB Given the importance of fundamental motor skill proficiency for children's participation in games, sports, and physical activity; our aim was to concurrently examine the fundamental motor skill proficiency of children living with a disability, children born prematurely, and children born full-term without a disability in their first year of school (kindergarten). Participants were 260 children (mean age = 5y9m; boys = 52%); 33 were born prematurely and 12 children lived with a disability. Motor skills were assessed during physical education using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2, and parent reports were used to indicate disability and prematurity status. The motor skill proficiency of all children was quite low; with mean percentile ranks ranging between <1st and 16th percentile for locomotor skills and the 1st and 16th percentile for object control skills. An analysis of variance showed a significant overall effect and a main effect for disability on the gross motor quotient; but there was no main effect for prematurity, nor interaction between prematurity and disability. The vast majority of the children in this study would benefit from a concentrated effort to enhance motor skills; and this was especially true for children with disabilities.
ER