Fine Motor Skills, Visual Function, and Reading in Children Human Movement Science recently published research examining the association between fine motor skills, visual function, and reading in children. The participants included 19 children who were reading below expected grade and age level. In order to test whether the children identified with reading difficulties perform worse only […]
How to Write a Social Story with Visual Supports Do you know a child that is struggling with different situations? Perhaps it is learning a new routine, participating in a conversation or playing with peers. Whatever the situation, a social story may be helpful to inform children of what they can expect and what is […]
Visual Spatial Task This visual spatial task is simple to create and incorporates many developmental skills. Gather up wooden blocks or any shapes you may have. I had some foam letters to use but you could use regular puzzle pieces, letter stencils or cookie cutter letters. Get a large piece of paper or old file […]
Effects of Yoga on Autism Symptoms Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice published research on the effectiveness of yoga training program on the severity of autism. The study consisted of 29 children (ages 7-15 years) with high functioning autism. The participants were randomly assigned to the yoga treatment group (received 24 sessions of yoga training over […]
Motor Overflow in Preschool Children When observing preschoolers complete complex motor tasks, you may observe an increase in motor activation displayed as extraneous movements in body parts not actively involved in the current task. These extraneous movements are sometimes called motor overflow, mirror movements or associated movements. Perceptual and Motor Skills published research examining what […]
Fine Motor Skills Linked to Numerical Skill Development When you walk into any preschool classroom, you will observe children using their fingers to count. Finger counting helps children to represent numbers and later influences the ability to complete arithmetic problems. The ability to count usually develops side by side with fine motor skill development. Many […]
Teaching Throwing and Catching to Children with DCD Research indicates that children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) exhibit significant impairments in general visual motor control and the processing of visual information. For example, children with DCD have difficulties with: the ability to use predictive information to guide action, the pursuit tracking of objects and the […]
Link Between Reading, Visual Perception, and Visual–Motor Integration Decoding written words is a key component to developing the ability to read. In order to decode, children need adequate visual perceptual skills. Recent research published in Dyslexia discussed the link between reading, visual perception, and visual–motor integration using the Developmental Test of Visual Perception version 2 (DTVP-2). The […]
Motor Planning and Cerebral Palsy The Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology recently published longitudinal research on motor planning and cerebral palsy. Motor planning is the ability to plan out all the steps required for a motor action and carry out each step in the correct order. It is important to have efficient motor planning […]
Free Turkey Hat – Scissor Skills Practice How cute is this free turkey hat? Download your free copy at the bottom of the post. Print it out and it is ready to go! Children have to practice cutting along straight lines and one curved line. Glue or tape the strips to the front of the […]