In a mental rotation task, children 5 and 6 years of age and adults had to decide as quickly as possible if a photograph of a hand showed a left or a right limb. The visually presented hands were left and right hands in palm or in back view, presented in four different angles of rotation. Participants had to give their responses with their own…

The effect of various reinforcement conditions on acquisition of motor performance by 60 noninstitutionalized trainable mentally retarded children (aged 3 to 10 years) was investigated using operant conditioning techniques. (Author/GW)

Comments on a study that reported the positive effects of a neurobehavioral intervention approach on motor skills of young children with cerebral palsy. Concludes that, in its current form, the neurobehavioral approach is only an initial step toward developing new methods for addressing challenging developmental concerns. (CR)

Through the process of distancing, children develop an understanding of the differences between themselves and others, themselves and objects, and objects and representations. Adults can support progressive distancing in children who are congenitally deaf-blind by applying strategies, such as the hand-under-hand exploration of objects, the…

This article features activities for children to explore the concepts of "over" and "under." Using boxes and blocks, children explore positional relationships and develop physical skills. Here, the author offers activities for every age level.

The relationship of age and developmental differences to modeling and motor skill development were examined. Comparisons of the observational learning patterns of four- and five-year-old children and of seven- and eight-year-olds suggest that their physical and cognitive capacities call for different instructional strategies. (Author/PP)

Tested the reliability and validity of a teacher-completed checklist to identify movement difficulties in a sample of 3- to 5-year-olds. Analysis showed that the checklist identified movement difficulties and found significant differences between children who displayed movement difficulties and those who did not. Interrater reliability and…

Development of ambulation was studied with 1,744 children, ages 3 to 10, with moderate to profound mental retardation. Although the probability of improvement declined with age, some improvements in basic skills did occur far past the normative age for development of speech and ambulation, across all levels of mental retardation. (Author/DB)

A study investigated the effects of a neurobehavioral motor intervention on intentional communication development of four children (ages 1 to 3) with neuromotor impairments. Related communication skills linked to motor targets were observed. All subjects increased the use of communication behaviors following implementation of the motor-skill…

Contradicting advocates' testimonials, the Alliance for Children wants a moratorium on adding more computers in elementary schools until research discovers how computer use affects young children. The alliance claims that computers and their entertaining software stifle creativity and distract children from each other, from adults, and from play.…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether data distribution changes as a result of motor skill practice or learning. The data on three dependent measures (movement time; MT), percentage of movement time in primary submovement (PSB), and movement jerk (JEK) were collected at baseline and practice Blocks 1 to 5. Sixty 6-year-olds,…

The author considers the importance of evaluating preschoolers' perceptual motor development, the usefulness of various evaluation techniques, and the specific psychomotor abilities that require evaluation. He quotes researchers to underline the difficulty of choosing appropriate evaluative techniques and to stress the importance of taking…

Outlines the challenges that well-taught physical education poses during early years' education. Revises some basic notions of why such activities are deemed "good" for children's development and highlights significant difficulties that teachers encounter when faced with delivery of such material. Suggests a model of how teachers might…

Scores on the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment were higher for control families than for families with an alcoholic father. For preschool sons of alcoholic fathers, overall developmental quotient, motor development, and social development were less advanced than for control children. (BC)

The present paper reviews the methods available for neurological or neuromotor evaluation at preschool age. General textbooks on pediatric neurology describe the neurological examination at preschool age in terms of the assessment of the evaluation of cranial nerves, muscle tone, muscle power, reflexes, and the presence of abnormal movements. They…