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Effects of a remedial program on visual-motor perception in spina bifida children
Insights
A remedial program significantly improved visual-motor perception in children with spina bifida. Gains in visual perception were maintained two months post-intervention, highlighting the benefits of targeted educational support.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Special Education
Background:
- Spina bifida research often overlooks psychosocial and educational impacts.
- Visual-motor perception deficits can affect learning and development in children with spina bifida.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a remedial program on visual-motor perception in spina bifida children.
- To assess the long-term maintenance of treatment gains.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-six children with spina bifida (myelomeningocele and hydrocephalus) were randomly assigned to experimental, attention-placebo, or control groups.
- The experimental group received the Frostig Program for the Development of Visual Perception.
- Visual perception was assessed using Frostig's Development Test of Visual Perception.
Main Results:
- The experimental group showed significant improvements in global visual perception and most subtest scores.
- Treatment gains were largely maintained at a two-month follow-up.
- Visual spatial perception gains were not sustained at follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Remedial education programs can effectively enhance visual-motor perception in children with spina bifida.
- These findings support the integration of targeted educational interventions into the care of children with spina bifida.
- Further research into the cognitive mechanisms underlying these improvements is warranted.
Abstract:
Most studies dealing with spina bifida children concentrate on medical or physical factors, largely ignoring any psychosocial and educational consequences. The present study assessed the effect of a remedial program on visual-motor perception in spina bifida children. Thirty-six spina bifida boys and girls (mean age 82.87 months) with a myelomeningocele and an associated hydrocephalus were assigned randomly to either a control, attention-placebo, or experimental group. Following the administration of the Frostig Program for the Development of Visual Perception, the experimental group significantly improved on a global index of visual perception and the five subtests of Frostig's Development Test of Visual Perception; at a maintenance test two months later, all treatment gains (except on the visual spatial perception subtest) were still evident. These results are discussed in terms of the provision of remedial education for spina bifida children, and a possible cognitive mechanism mediating the behavioral change in the experimental group.
