The Effects of an Integrative Universally Designed Motor Skill Intervention across General, Inclusion, and Self-Contained Early Childhood Center Classrooms

This dissertation consists of two studies that examine the effects of a school-based universally designed integrative intervention on the gross motor, fine motor, and health-related fitness skills of preschool and kindergarten with and without disabilities. Both studies focused on the effects of a school-based universally designed integrative intervention across general, inclusion and self-contained early childhood classroom settings. Study 1 examined the effects of the universally designed integrative intervention in general and inclusion classrooms in children without disabilities, and children with mild to moderate disabilities. Study 2 examined the effects of the universally designed integrative intervention in self-contained classrooms for children with moderate to severe disabilities. Study 1 used a pre/post/control experimental design, while Study 2 featured a descriptive analytic design. The purpose of Study 1 was to examine the effects of an integrative intervention on gross motor, fine motor, and health-related fitness skills for young children with and without disabilities. I randomly selected children (general = 30; inclusion = 28) to participate in a universally-designed integrative motor intervention and children (general = 25; inclusion = 28) to participate in the control condition. I conducted two separate 2 group (intervention and control) x 2 time (pretest and posttest) repeated measures ANCOVAs controlling for sex for raw TGMD-2 scores to determine the effectiveness of the intervention on children’s gross motor skills. To account for within-group differential effects of the intervention between children with and without disabilities, I conducted a subsequent 2 group (disability and no disability) x 2 time (pretest and posttest) repeated measures ANCOVA controlling for sex. Next, to determine the effects of the intervention on children’s gross motor, fine motor and health-related fitness skills I conducted two separate 2 group (intervention and control) x 2 time (pretest and posttest) repeated measures ANOVA using BOT2-BF raw point scores. Our main findings suggest young children both with and without disabilities demonstrated low competencies in motor skills regardless of disability according to multiple assessments. Findings from this study suggest young children both with and without disabilities can benefit from an integrative intervention targeting multiple facets of basic motor skills when using an appropriate curriculum framework such as universal design for learning. The purpose of Study 2 was to examine the effects of an integrative universally designed intervention on gross motor, fine motor, and health-related fitness skills of young children with moderate to severe disabilities. Furthermore, I measured both process and product characteristics of children’s gross motor, fine motor, and health-related fitness skills to critically examine the programmatic effectiveness of the intervention. I randomly selected children (n = 11) to participate in a universally-designed integrative motor intervention and children (n = 9) to participate in the control condition. I measured all children prior to the study on the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Second Edition Brief Form (BOT2-BF). I examined group (e.g., intervention and control) mean differences through paired sampled t-tests for BOT2-BF and TGMD-2 scores. I also examined the individual change in BOT-2 and TGMD-2 scores on all children from pretest to posttest. Findings from this study suggest young children with moderate to severe disabilities can improve gross motor, fine motor, and health-related fitness skills through a universally designed motor skill curriculum, however children must be provided the appropriate support (e.g., paraprofessionals) and be placed in their “least restrictive” environment

Gross motor delay

Gross motor skills encompass a broad array of large muscle movements, from rudimentary skills like rolling and sitting to highly specialized skills such as the serve and forehand in tennis. This entry focuses on a subset of gross motor skills called fundamental motor skills (FMS), which are considered the building blocks to later physical activity and sports performance. FMS include locomotor skills like running and jumping and object control skills such as throwing and catching, along with nonlocomotor skills such as balance. The identification of gross motor delay with regard to FMS occurs when a child fails to achieve important developmental milestones, often lagging 2 years or more behind the typical age- based norm for that skill. The purpose of this entry is to provide a brief overview of FMS and describe gross motor delay in a variety of populations. The entry concludes by examining common interventions

Psychometric Properties of the Test of Gross Motor Development-3 fo Children With Visual Impairments

Results of the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) consistently show acceptable validity and reliability for children/adolescents who are sighted and those who have visual impairments. Results of the Test of Gross Motor Development-3 (TGMD-3) are often valid and reliable for children who are sighted, but its psychometric properties are unknown for children with visual impairments. Participants (N=66; Mage =12.93, SD=2.40) with visual impairments completed the TGMD-2 and TGMD-3. The TGMD-3 results from this sample revealed high internal consistency (ω=.89–.95), strong interrater reliability (ICC=.91–.92), convergence with the TGMD-2 (r=.96), and good model fit, χ2(63)=80.10, p=.072, χ2/df ratio=1.27, RMSEA=.06, CFI=.97. Researchers and practitioners can use the TGMD-3 to assess the motor skill performance for children/adolescents with visual impairments and most likely produce results that are valid and reliabl

Exploring children with visual impairments’ physical literacy : a preliminary investigation of autonomous motivation

Physical literacy refers to the confidence, competence, motivation, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities throughout the lifespan. Little is known regarding the physical literacy of children/ adolescents with visual impairments (VIs). Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of autonomous motivation in children/adolescents with VI (N= 41) from Latvia and the United States. A secondary aim was to explore differential effects of the country regarding all variables of interest. Methods: Within this preliminary investigation, levels of perceived motor competence, competence satisfaction, and autonomous motivation were captured in children/adolescents with VI located in Latvia and the United States. Results: Competence satisfaction and perceived motor competence significantly predicted autonomous motivation regardless of location. Significant differences regarding country occurred for competence satisfaction and autonomous motivation. Discussion/Conclusion: Implications for cultivating physical literacy for children/adolescents with VI involve strategies for physical educators focusing on fostering motivation

Erratum: Correction to: Motor Competence Levels and Developmental Delay in Early Childhood: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in the USA (Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) (2019) 49 10 (1609-1618))

Page 1, Abstract, Results, sentence 1: The following sentence, which previously read

The brief form of the test of gross motor development-3 for individuals with visual impairments

Children with visual impairments (VI) tend to struggle with their fundamental motor skills (FMS), and these difficulties often persist across the lifespan, requiring frequent assessment. The Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) shows robust psychometric properties for children with VI. The TGMD, which includes 13 skills, is time-consuming to administer and score, warranting the need to explore brief versions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of three, six-skill versions of the TGMD-3 with children with VI. Children (n = 302; Boys = 58%, Girls = 42%; Mage = 13.00, SD = 2.50 years) with VI (B1 = 27%, B2 = 20%, B3 = 38%, B4 = 15%) participated in this study. We examined three different models using confirmatory factor analyses on the relationships between the motor skills and latent traits across the models. Scores from all three brief versions had acceptable global fit. Although further research should be conducted, practitioners can adopt a brief version of the TGMD to assess children with VI