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Assessment of motor functioning in the preschool period
Jan P Piek1, Beth Hands, Melissa K Licari
1School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, GPO, Box U1987, Perth 6845 Western Australia, Australia. j.piek@curtin.edu.au
Insights
Assessing young children's motor skills is crucial due to links with cognitive and social development. This paper reviews current challenges and offers guidelines for effective motor ability assessment in preschoolers.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Motor Development
Background:
- Motor impairment in early childhood is increasingly recognized as a predictor of cognitive, language, social, and emotional difficulties.
- Current assessment of motor ability in young children lacks a universally accepted gold standard.
- Understanding motor development is vital for early identification and intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss challenges in assessing motor ability in preschool children.
- To provide guidelines for the optimal approach to motor assessment in this age group.
- To review existing assessment tools for general and specific motor skills.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on motor assessment in preschool children.
- Discussion of neurodevelopmental changes related to motor skills.
- Analysis of sex differences in motor ability and their potential influences.
Main Results:
- The literature presents ambiguity regarding whether to assess underlying motor processes or specific movement skills.
- Several tools offer general motor performance measures, while others target specific skills (fine, gross, ball, graphomotor).
- Maturation of brain development and potential sex differences are key considerations.
Conclusions:
- There is a need for clear guidelines on assessing motor function in preschool children.
- A comprehensive approach considering both general performance and specific skills is recommended.
- Further research may clarify the optimal balance between assessing underlying processes and observable skills.
Abstract:
The assessment of motor functioning in young children has become increasingly important in recent years with the acknowledgement that motor impairment is linked with cognitive, language, social and emotional difficulties. However, there is no one gold standard assessment tool to investigate motor ability in children. The aim of the current paper was to discuss the issues related to the assessment of motor ability in young pre-school children and to provide guidelines on the best approach for motor assessment. The paper discusses the maturational changes in brain development at the preschool level in relation to motor ability. Other issues include sex differences in motor ability at this young age, and evidence for this in relation to sociological versus biological influences. From the previous literature it is unclear what needs to be assessed in relation to motor functioning. Should the focus be underlying motor processes or movement skill assessment? Several key assessment tools are discussed that produce a general measure of motor performance followed by a description of tools that assess specific skills, such as fine and gross motor, ball and graphomotor skills. The paper concludes with recommendations on the best approach in assessing motor function in pre-school children.
