Perceptual Motor Programs

Motor Development and Skill Acquisition - EDED 11331

What does Perceptual Motor mean?

Perception = the input systemMotor = the output or responsive system.

What is Perceptual Motor Development ?

• Perceptual motor development is defined as one’s ability to receive, interpret and respond successfully to sensory information

• Perception means to know or to interpret information, and motor refers to output or responsive movement(Capon, 1975)A perceptual motor program, therefore, uses movement activities to enhance academic or cognitive skills

Perceptual Motor Programs (PMPs)

• Fundamental motor skills have been developed as an integral component of the HPE curriculum.

• Traditional P.E programs have centred on the output or performance e.g. Can the child skip? With perceptual motor programs, input and perception are the first concern, then you examine how it affects one’s performance.

• PMPs aim to be preventative rather than curative.• PMPs should involve all students in their early years

of schooling, not just children who are “at risk”

“Before he can learn that “p” is down and “b” is up, he must learn when he is down and when he is up. Directionality must

become a part of the body scheme before any child can have a real appreciation of the directionality of letters, numbers and

words.” (Capon, 1975)

The Importance of PMPs

The influence PMP can have on non-impaired children (Learning Readiness)

The influence of PMP on children requiring remedial programs for PM skills (Remediation)

Current research indicates that the current level of FMS development for many children in their early years is inadequate

What is Involved in a PMP?

• Gross motor co-ordination(locomotor)• Balance• Visual motor control• Auditory motor activities• Fine motor control• Laterality• Body awareness• Spatial awareness

Gross Motor Activities

• Rolling, crawling, walking, running, jumping and landing, hopping, skipping, galloping, leaping and dodging.

Balance

• Rolling (over balls), forward and backward rolls, spinning, balance, scooter boards, skipping (with and without ropes), jumping activities, see saws and trampettes.

• The vestibular centre in the brain receives and processes sensations from the gravity and movement receptors found in the inner ears. This information is used to regulate muscle tone, equilibrium and posture and allows people to know how fast they are moving and in which direction.

Visual Motor Activities

• Ability to combine visual and motor responses into physical action

• Allow an individual to move from one place to another smoothly.

Auditory Motor Control

• Singing, rhymes and chants.

• Responding to auditory cues/commands, ability to utilise auditory cues.

Fine Motor Control

• Co-ordination of small muscles to perform specific tasks.

• Cutting, painting, writing, grasping.

Laterality

• Ability to control two sides of the body together or separately.

• Bilateral movements (Simultaneous or parallel).

• Unilateral movements (one side of the body)• Cross lateral movements (Simultaneous

movement of different limbs on opposite sides of the body e.g. crawling)

• Directional awareness - left and right.

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• Concept of body parts• Physical structure and function• Position of body in relation to other objects.

Body Awareness

Spatial Awareness

• Closely associated with body awareness• Knowledge of the body and its position• Locating a reference point for activities.

Recognising Children at Risk

• Children who often go unnoticed are those who try very hard with little success.

• Children with poor muscle tone or poor posture.

• Children with co-ordination problems, who appear clumsy, unable to run easily, often have falls.(ANSUA, 1991)

Children at Risk cont.

• Children who display poor fine motor co-ordination, have problems with all manual skills such as managing buttons, pencil grip, avoiding colouring activities, dislikes jigsaws and trouble managing scissors.

• Children who display a difficulty in expressing themselves properly (poor speech, stuttering)

Children at Risk cont.• Children who demonstrate difficulty with

spatial awareness and poor visual perception. They may avoid using playground equipment to avoid climbing, swinging and heights.

• Children with mixed laterality. Children who may write with their left hand but prefer to hop on their right leg.

• Children who display an under-developed tactile system or a hyper-tactile child.

Children at Risk cont.• Children with sensory input problems I.e

cannot filter out irrelevant sounds and stimuli, easily distracted, talk loudly to drown out background noise.

• Children with poor eye contact.• Children with immature head movement

development e.g moves their head while reading instead of moving their eyes or jerky head movement while reading.

Children at Risk cont.• Children with poor visual memory.• Children who have a poor auditory

memory I.e can only handle one command at a time.

• Children with visual problems – squints, red rimmed eyes, headaches, watery eyes following reading, book close to eyes when reading and inability to cope with small print.

• Reversals with letters and numbers.

Children at Risk cont.• Children with poor concentration and learning

ability leads to poor comprehension e.g can read well but demonstrates little comprehension.

• Children who demonstrate poor time concepts e.g unaware of lunch time and dinner time, yesterday and tomorrow.

• Children who display midline problems. Children who have not integrated both sides of their body e.g may be ambidextrous, writing hand may change, when writing across one side of the page then moves the paper so they do not cross the midline.

Improving Literacy Through Motor Development

• PMPs have been shown to be an avenue to which the perceptual abilities of a child may be enhanced. There has been research conducted that demonstrates that improved perceptual motor development can positively affect a child’s academic performance.

Safety Considerations

• Adult supervision (aware of responsibilities)• Equipment checked regularly• Appropriate clothing (usually bare feet)• One person on equipment at a time• Good starting positions• Sufficient space• Movement control NOT speed• Encourage concentration on the task

References

• ANSUA. (1991). Movement for learning. Motor sensory therapy. Victoria: author.

• Capon, J. (1975). Perceptual motor development. Belmont,

Ca. : Fearon Pitman.• DECCD. (1997). Fundamental motor skills. Tasmania:

author.• Pangrazi, R. P., & Dauer, V. P. (1992). Dynamic

physical education for elementary school children (10th ed.). Ontario: Macmillan.