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Updated: May 9, 2026
A Method to Quantify Visual Information Processing in Children Using Eye Tracking
Published on: July 9, 2016
Visual motor skills in homeless children
Winifred Schultz-Krohn1, Pamela K Richardson
1Department of Occupational Therapy, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, 95192-0059 winifred@email.sjsu.edu.
Insights
Homeless children showed no significant deficits in visual motor, perceptual, or coordination skills. However, they performed better on motor coordination than visual-motor tasks, suggesting a need for structured support.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Occupational Therapy
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Previous research indicated visual motor deficits in preschool-aged homeless children.
- Homelessness presents unique challenges impacting child development and learning.
- Understanding developmental skills in this population is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess visual motor, visual perceptual, and motor coordination skills in homeless children.
- To compare the performance of homeless preschool and school-aged children on specific developmental subtests.
- To investigate potential deficits previously identified in homeless preschool populations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration-4th Edition, Revised (VMI).
- Administered all three subtests of the VMI to 33 children residing in a family homeless shelter.
- Assessed visual motor integration, visual perception, and motor coordination.
Main Results:
- Homeless children did not exhibit significant deficits across visual motor, visual perceptual, or motor coordination skills.
- Participants demonstrated significantly higher performance on the motor coordination subtest compared to visual motor and visual perceptual subtests.
- The study did not replicate previous findings of visual motor deficits in homeless preschool children.
Conclusions:
- The study's findings challenge prior literature suggesting visual motor deficits in homeless preschool children.
- A notable difference in performance across subtests indicates potential benefits from external structure for paper-pencil tasks.
- Results have implications for occupational therapy interventions, recommending structured approaches and further research.
Objective:
Identify the visual motor, visual perceptual and motor coordination skills of homeless pre-school and school-aged children living in an emergency shelter for homeless families.
Method:
All three subtests of the Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration-4th Edition, Revised (VMI) were administered to 33 children living in a family homeless shelter.
Results:
Homeless children did not display significant deficits in visual motor, visual perceptual or motor coordination skills. However, participants performed significantly better on the motor coordination subtest than on the visual motor and visual perceptual subtests.
Conclusions:
Previous literature had identified visual motor deficits in pre-school homeless children. This finding was not supported in this investigation. The significant difference in performance on the various subtests suggests that these children may benefit from external structure for paper/pencil tasks. Implications for occupational therapy services are made with suggestions for further investigations.
