Research on a psychomotor program for children with severe motor or multiple disabilities

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education

Background:

• Children with brain injuries and severe motor disabilities often have limited experiential opportunities.
• Psychomotor programs aim to address developmental delays and enhance learning in these children.
• The Le Gay Brereton program was selected for its focus on preschool-aged disabled children and teacher-child interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Le Gay Brereton psychomotor program for brain-injured children with severe motor or multiple disabilities.
• To assess the program's impact on cognitive skills and the training process.
• To develop and utilize novel evaluation instruments for individual progress tracking.

Main Methods:

• Three experimental studies were conducted to assess the program's effects.
• Custom evaluation instruments were developed to measure individual changes in cognitive skills and training progress.
• The study adapted the Le Gay Brereton program, deviating from some original recommendations.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant improvements were observed across all three experimental studies.
• The developed evaluation instruments effectively measured individual changes and training processes.
• The program demonstrated positive outcomes for the target population.

Conclusions:

• The adapted Le Gay Brereton psychomotor program is effective in improving cognitive skills in preschool children with severe motor disabilities.
• Individualized goal-setting and teacher training are crucial for optimizing intervention outcomes.
• Further research should focus on refining individualized goals and instructional methods for teachers.