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Exploring the motor skill proficiency barrier among children with intellectual disabilities: Analysis at a
Hayley Kavanagh1,2, Johann Issartel1,3, Sarah Meegan1
1Faculty of Science and Health, School of Health and Human Performance, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.
Insights
Children with intellectual disabilities (CwID) show significant deficits in fundamental movement skills (FMS). This study highlights the critical need for targeted interventions to improve motor proficiency in CwID for lifelong physical activity.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Motor Learning
- Special Education
Background:
- Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) are crucial for lifelong physical activity and sports participation.
- Previous models emphasize childhood FMS proficiency, yet data on children with intellectual disabilities (CwID) is limited.
- Understanding FMS at a behavioral component level is key for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine FMS proficiency at the behavioral component level in children with intellectual disabilities (CwID).
- To identify specific skill deficits in locomotor and ball skills among CwID.
- To investigate the predictive role of gender and age on FMS proficiency in this population.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 100 children with intellectual disabilities (aged 5-12 years) using the Test of Gross Motor Development 3rd edition (TGMD-3).
- Utilized the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 (BOT-2) balance subtest for further assessment.
- Employed multiple and linear regression analyses to explore gender and age as predictors of FMS proficiency.
Main Results:
- No participants mastered all 10 FMS; only 1% mastered all locomotor skills, and 0% mastered all ball skills.
- Significant deficits were observed across all fundamental movement skills at the behavioral component level.
- Gender and age interactions were analyzed as potential predictors of motor skill proficiency.
Conclusions:
- Children with intellectual disabilities exhibit profound challenges in developing fundamental movement skills.
- Results underscore the necessity for tailored interventions to address motor skill deficits in CwID.
- Identifying specific skill weaknesses is essential for effective support and promoting physical activity participation.
Abstract:
Models of childhood motor development began to emerge in the 1960's. Since then, numerous models have proposed the importance of obtaining a proficient level of fundamental movement skill (FMS) competence during childhood and deemed it to be critical for participation in lifelong sports and physical activity. This study examined FMS at the behavioural component level in children with intellectual disabilities (CwID) (n = 100, 60% boys, aged 5-12 years). Participants were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development 3rd edition (TGMD-3) and the balance subtest from Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 (BOT-2). For the whole sample, 0% participants mastered all 10 FMS, 1% (n = 1) participants mastered all 4 locomotor skills while 0% (n = 100) participants mastered all ball skills. A multiple regression was carried out to investigate whether the interaction of gender and age was a predictor of FMS proficiency. Linear regressions were also carried out to investigate whether gender or age was a predictor of FMS proficiency. The results presented will help to identify weaknesses in skills at the behavioural component level and will enable researchers and practitioners to address low levels of motor skill proficiency among CwID.
