Effect of perceptual motor training on gross-motor skill and self-concept of young children

Preschool teachers from four different day care centers assessed four-and five-year-old children for deficits in gross-motor skill and self-concept. Forty subjects were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in a 30 minute per day, 5 day per week perceptual-motor training program for 10 weeks, while the control group received no specialized intervention other than their regular classroom activities. Two posttests were administered: Cratty's Six-Category Gross-Motor Test and Goodenough's House, Tree, Person Projective Test. The experimental group performed better on the gross-motor test, but the results were not statistically significant. Analysis of the projective test supported the hypothesis that a perceptual-motor program may improve the self-concept of young children. Specialized intervention with perceptual-motor activities improved self-concept and these results were discussed in relation to recognizing the need for early screening and remediation of perceptual-motor dificits exhibited by preschool children.