Using a coloring activity to identify children's development of visual-motor integration: an application of

Tzu-Yun Huang1,2, Kuan-Lin Chen1,2,3, Gong-Hong Lin4

  • 1Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan.

Annals of Medicine
|November 3, 2025
PubMed

Insights

This study developed an AI model using a coloring activity to assess visual-motor integration (VMI) in preschoolers. The AI model shows promise as a screening tool for identifying VMI developmental status in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric developmental assessment
  • Artificial intelligence in healthcare
  • Childhood learning disabilities

Background:

  • Visual-motor integration (VMI) is crucial for children's development and learning.
  • Difficulties in VMI are often associated with learning disabilities.
  • Early identification of VMI status is essential for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the potential of a coloring activity for assessing VMI in preschool children.
  • To develop and validate an artificial intelligence (AI) model for predicting VMI developmental status.
  • To establish a novel, accessible screening method for VMI.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 505 preschool children, with 404 for training and 101 for testing.
  • Employed the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-motor Integration, fourth Edition (VMI-4) as a benchmark.
  • Developed an AI model incorporating support vector machine (SVM) regression and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) classification.

Main Results:

  • The AI model achieved high accuracy (86.2%), sensitivity (84.7%), and specificity (85.4%) on training data.
  • On testing data, the model demonstrated good performance with accuracy (80.20%), sensitivity (73.68%), and specificity (81.71%).
  • The AI model effectively predicted VMI developmental status based on coloring activity performance.

Conclusions:

  • A coloring activity combined with AI presents a viable screening tool for VMI.
  • This approach offers a promising method for identifying children's VMI developmental status.
  • Further research can explore the broader application of this AI-powered screening tool.
Abstract

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