Fine Motor Skills, Visual Function, and Reading in Children

Fine Motor Skills, Visual Function, and Reading in Children

Human Movement Science recently published research examining the association between fine motor skills, visual function, and reading in children. The participants included 19 children who were reading below expected grade and age level.  In order to test whether the children identified with reading difficulties perform worse only on fine motor tasks that rely on binocular input, the researchers used two experimental tasks: bead-threading and peg-board.   Each participant completed tests for stereoacuity, fusional vergence, amplitude of accommodation, and accommodative facility.

The results indicated:

• children with reading difficulties performed significantly worse on the bead-threading task.
• performance on the peg-board task was similar in both groups.
• accommodative facility was the only measure of binocular function significantly associated with motor performance.

The researchers concluded that normal binocular vision may provide an important sensory input for the development of fine motor skills and reading.  Further research was recommended with a larger sample size.

Read more on the link between visual-motor integration and reading.

Reference: Niechwiej-Szwedo, E., Alramis, F., & Christian, L. W. (2017). Association between fine motor skills and binocular visual function in children with reading difficulties. Human movement science, 56(Pt B), 1.

Need fine motor skill activities?  Check out all of our resources here.  Visual perceptual resources?  Find out more here.

 

The post Fine Motor Skills, Visual Function, and Reading in Children appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Link Between Reading, Visual Perception, and Visual–Motor Integration

Link Between Reading, Visual Perception, and Visual–Motor Integration

Decoding written words is a key component to developing the ability to read.  In order to decode, children need adequate visual perceptual skills.  Recent research published in Dyslexia discussed the link between reading, visual perception, and visual–motor integration using the Developmental Test of Visual Perception version 2 (DTVP-2).  The study examined three parts:

1) how did visual perception and visual–motor integration in kindergarten predict reading outcomes in neurotypical Grade 1 students.

2) if the skills can be seen as clinical markers in children with dyslexia.

3) if visual–motor integration and motor-reduced visual perception can distinguish children with dyslexia depending upon whether they exhibited developmental coordination disorder.

The results of the study indicated the following:

• phonological awareness and visual–motor integration predicted reading outcomes one year later.
• DTVP-2 demonstrated similarities and differences in visual–motor integration and motor-reduced visual perception between children with DD, DCD, and both of these deficits.

The researchers concluded that the DTVP-2 is a suitable tool to examine links between visual perception, visual–motor integration and reading, and to differentiate cognitive signs of children with developmental disabilities.

Reference: Bellocchi, S., Muneaux, M., Huau, A., Lévêque, Y., Jover, M., & Ducrot, S. (2017). Exploring the Link between Visual Perception, Visual–Motor Integration, and Reading in Normal Developing and Impaired Children using DTVP‐2. Dyslexia, 23(3), 296-315.

Looking for activities to practice visual perceptual skills and visual motor integration?  Check out these titles:

Hole Punch Palooza – combine visual perceptual, visual motor, letter recognition and hand strengthening with this digital download.  It includes 26 capital letter strips, 26 lowercase letter strips, 16 pre-writing strips, 12 visual discrimination strips, 4 counting strips, 4 prepositional phrase strips and 4 hole punch race strips.  Once printed, children can trace the letters, write the letters and hole punch the matching letters.  All the hole punch strips are in black and white.Hole Punch Palooza encourages: hand strengthening, handwriting and drawing practice, visual discrimination skills, visual motor skills, right/left discrimination and bilateral coordination.

Visual Motor Exercises – This digital download includes 25 long mazes and patterns to print, assemble and complete to practice pencil control.  Once the pattern/maze is assembled it is 28 inches in length.  This length encourages the child to cross the midline and to rotate the head (vestibular input) while completing the visual motor exercise.  The patterns and mazes vary in difficulty from easy to hard with horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curves and circular patterns.  The patterns/mazes are all in black and white.  There is a step by step direction sheet with color photos for the children to follow along.

The post Link Between Reading, Visual Perception, and Visual–Motor Integration appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Vision Continues to Develop Beyond Childhood

Recent research indicates that vision continues to develop beyond childhood. The Journal of Neuroscience published research completed by a McMaster neuroscientist, Kathyrn Murphy, and her colleagues who studied post-mortem brain-tissue samples from 30 people ranging in age from 20 days to 80 years.   Through analysis of proteins that drive the actions of neurons in the visual cortex at the back of the brain indicated that this part of the brain does not reach maturity until about age 36, plus or minus 4.5 years.  The visual cortex,  human brain’s vision-processing center, was previously thought to mature and stabilize in the first few years of life and reach maturity by 5 to 6 years, actually continues to develop until sometime in the late 30s or early 40s.

“There’s a big gap in our understanding of how our brains function,” says Murphy. “Our idea of sensory areas developing in childhood and then being static is part of the challenge. It’s not correct.”

Murphy says treatment for conditions such as amblyopia or “lazy eye”, for example, have been based on the idea that only children could benefit from corrective therapies, since it was thought that treating young adults would be pointless because they had passed the age when their brains could respond.

Though the research is isolated to the visual cortex, it suggests that other areas of the brain may also be much more plastic for much longer than previously thought, Murphy says.

Reference: MedicalXpress.  Vision keeps maturing until mid-life: Brain research recasts timeline for visual cortex development.  Retrieved from the web on 5/29/17 at http://ift.tt/2rOrKxz.

Check out all of our visual perceptual and visual motor activities such as Pencil Obstacle Courses, Visual Spatial Mazes and seasonal activities.

The post Vision Continues to Develop Beyond Childhood appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Pumpkin Workout and Brain Break

Need a quick brain break in the classroom or burn off some excess energy before homework?  Try this no-prep, pumpkin workout!  Can you complete each exercise for the letters in the word P-U-M-P-K-I-N?

P is for 10 push ups.
U is for 10 up and down squats.
M is for marching in place for 30 seconds.
P is for plank position for 10 seconds.
K is for kick your legs for 30 seconds.
I is for invent an exercise.
N is for ninety seconds of running in place.

DOWNLOAD the Pumpkin Workout.

The Pumpkin Workout is from this Pumpkin Packet that includes 11 no-prep, FUN activities to get children practicing fine motor, gross motor and visual perceptual skills.  This packet is great for brain breaks, indoor recess, classroom party and more!

The Pumpkin Packet download includes the following:

Roll a Pumpkin #1 and #2 – roll a die to create different pumpkin faces
Pumpkin Workout – an acrostic poem for physical activity
Pumpkin Brain Breaks – roll a die and get moving
Pumpkin Ball Challenge – exercise ball activities
Pumpkin Poses – animal yoga poses
Pumpkin Patch – fine motor and visual motor game
Pumpkin Match Up – fine motor, finger strengthening and visual memory game
Design Your Own Pumpkin – visual motor activity
Pumpkin Zentangle Coloring Page
Jack O Lantern Challenge Maze
Pumpkin Maze

FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION.

The post Pumpkin Workout and Brain Break appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Butterflies, Bugs and Blocks Mini Puzzles

Print this Butterfly, Bugs and Blocks freebie to practice fine motor, visual motor, visual closure and visual discrimination skills.  You can download the freebie at Your Therapy Source Inc.

Need more building block ideas?  Check out the freebies and download with Building Block Patterns and Games.

Visual Perceptual and Handwriting Freebie Page

Download two sample pages for the Letter Cc to practice handwriting and visual perceptualskills. You can download the freebie here http://www.yourtherapysource.com/vphandwritingfreebie.html

Get more information on the complete download here

Body Awareness Continues to Mature Until 10 Years of Age

The Journal of Experimental Child Psychology published research on the development of multisensory body representation and awareness in older children (10-13 years old) using the "the rubber hand illusion".   Previous research indicated that younger children (ages 4-9 years old) represent the position of their own hand in external space by relying more on looking at the hand, and less on proprioceptive input when compared to adults. The current study used the rubber hand illusion to determine if 10-13 year olds balance visual and proprioceptive inputs at an adult maturity level. 
Following the illusion, the participants had to point, with eyes closed, to the perceived position of their hand. 

The results indicated the following:
1.  pointing responses reached adult levels at 10 to 11 years indicating that at this age children perceive hand location using an adult-like balance of sensory cues. 

The researchers concluded that the multisensory foundations of the bodily self develop throughout early and mid-childhood, reaching an adult state by 10 to 11 years.

Reference:  Cowie, D et al.  The development of multisensory body representation and awareness continues to 10 years of age: Evidence from the rubber hand illusion. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.  Volume 142, February 2016, Pages 230–238.

Personal Space Journey

By:  Your Therapy Source Inc

Summary: Collection of activities to teach children about personal space 

including many body awareness exercises and a social story on personal 

space.  Find out more at http://yourtherapysource.com/personalspacejourney.html

Holiday Lights Tracing Freebie

Practice visual discrimination and visual motor skills with this Holiday Lights Tracing freebie from the December Visual Perceptual Puzzles.

December Visual Perceptual Puzzles

By:  Your Therapy Source, Inc

Summary:  Download of 20 visual motor, visual spatial, visual closure and visual perceptual 

challenges with a December theme.  FIND OUT MORE AT http://yourtherapysource.com/vpdecember.html

Movement, Math and Visual Perceptual Skill Freebie - Roll, Move and Cover

Here is a fun game, Roll, Move and Cover that incorporates movement, visual perceptual skills, fine motor skills and math skills.  It is a freebie game from Animal Actions A to Z.  Basically, the student rolls two dice, adds up the numbers, finds the number, performs an animal action and then colors in the circle to cover it up.  Another option is to cover up each circle with a small ball of clay.  You can download the free activity here  http://yourtherapysource.com/animalactionsazfreebie.html

Get more information on Animal Actions A to Zat http://yourtherapysource.com/animalactionsaz.html

Patriotic Printables

Here are three FREE printables for July 4th or any patriotic day.

Practice reaction time and visual skills with the Red, White and Blue Game at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/july4free.html

Practice visual discrimination, visual motor and figure ground skills with this July 4th Hunt and Find activity at http://yourtherapysource.com/july4huntfind.html

Practice scissors and lacing skills to make this Flag Mobile at http://yourtherapysource.com/july4free2.html

Wax String Activities

Here is a sample of some pages from the Wax String Activity book.  These activities encourage visual perceptual skills, eye hand coordination and kinesthetic learning.  Head on over to YourTherapySource at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/waxsample.html

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6 Free Printables for Valentine's Day

Need some quick activities for Valentines Day?  Check out these 6 freebies.



1.  Follow that Monster:  Visual discrimination and visual motor activity from http://yourtherapysource.com/vpvalentinefree.html

2.  Multisensory Handwriting Activity for Valentine's Day from http://yourtherapysource.com/msvalentinefreebie.html



 

3.  Sample Pages from Valentine's Day Handwriting Activities at  http://yourtherapysource.com/valentinefree.html



 

4.  Conversation Heart Clothes Pins at  http://yourtherapysource.com/freeconversation.html

5.  Love Bug Pencil Critters from http://yourtherapysource.com/fmvalentinefree.html

6.  Valentine's Day Exercises from http://yourtherapysource.com/freevalentinebrainbreak.html

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After all those Valentine's Day treats get the kids moving with Brain Breaks for Valentine's Day.  Find out more at http://yourtherapysource.com/brainbreaksvalentine.html

 

 

 

Follow that Monster Visual Perceptual Activity

Challenge visual discrimination, visual spatial relationships and visual motor skills with this free printable.  Download just in time for Valentine's Day at http://yourtherapysource.com/vpvalentinefree.html

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Patterns, Patterns, Patterns

Here are 6 FREE sample pages from Patterns, Patterns, Patterns  which is a collection of over 50 visual perceptual activities involving patterns. Children will be challenged to draw the patterns and find shapes, numbers or objects in a pattern. The activity pages are in black and
white.

Patterns, Patterns, Patterns stimulates:
visual motor skills
visual perceptual skills
visual closure skills
visual discrimination
spatial relationships
visual memory

Download your free sample pages at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/patternsfree.html

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Holiday Shape Tree Visual Perceptual Activity

Here is a fun, holiday freebie in color or black and white.  You can download the freebie at http://yourtherapysource.com/freeholidayshapetree.html

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Whooooo's There? Visual Motor Freebie

Download this visual motor and visual discrimination freebie at http://yourtherapysource.com/freethanksgivingowls2.html

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Practice Grading Pencil Pressure with this Freebie

Students can practice pressing light versus hard to shade the owl pictures.  You can download it at http://yourtherapysource.com/freeshade.html.

Category Freebie

Download your free copy of Categories Word Finds - Fruits.  You can either find the word, write the words Handwriting without Tears Style or write the words Zaner-Bloser style.   Great for differentiated instruction, visual perceptual skills and handwriting practice.  You can get download the freebie at http://yourtherapysource.com/categorywordsfree.html

Classroom Displays and Children's Ability to Focus

Is the picture above hard to read?  Of course it is - text on a busy background is difficult to see.  One thing that really bothers me in a classroom is excessively decorated walls.  I frequently walk into a classroom and am shocked at the visual overstimulation.  There are patterns, pictures and words hanging all over the place.  Sometimes not just on the walls but from the ceiling and "clothes line" rope across the room.  Now imagine you are a young student and need to focus on the teachers, it can be quite difficult with all the visual stimulation in the room.  Another pet peeve I have is when assignments are hanging on patterned paper - it makes it so much harder to focus on the information that a student needs to read or copy down.  Many times I may make a gentle recommendation to decrease the display for a particular student.  But, I am always careful not to step on any toes - at the end of the day it is the teachers room to set up not mine.  But, now there is some simple research to back up what us therapists may recommend in the school setting.   

Psychological Science published research indicating that children in highly decorated classrooms were more distracted, spent more time off-task and demonstrated smaller learning gains than when the decorations were removed.  The 24 kindergarteners were placed in laboratory classrooms that were heavily decorated or sparsely decorated and taught lessons.  The following results were seen: 

• children learned in both classroom types but they learned more when the room was not heavily decorated.  Children's accuracy on the test questions was higher in the sparse classroom(55 percent correct) than in the decorated classroom(42 percent correct).


• the rate of off-task behavior was higher in the decorated classroom (38.6 percent time spent off-task) than in the sparse classroom (28.4 percent time spent off-task).

Even though it is a small study and more research needs to be done, it is a start.

Reference:  Medical Express. Heavily decorated classrooms disrupt attention and learning in young children.  Retrieved from the web at http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-05-heavily-classrooms-disrupt-attention-young.html#nwlt on 5/28/14.

Modifications and Interventions for School - Reporting Forms provides pediatric
therapists with over sixty, reproducible reporting forms with hundreds of suggested modifications and interventions for students. Interventions are listed by skill areas such as handwriting, scissors, dressing, walking, stairs, wheelchair skills and sensory skills. This book is a great tool for all school based therapists and teachers to determine what modifications and interventions are successful for a particular student. Find out more at http://yourtherapysource.com/modifications.html

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Fine Motor Bean Matching Boards

Print out the matching bean boards and read the directions to create this fine motor, visual perceptual and graded muscle control challenge.  Modifications included to add in physical activity to the task.  You can read about it and download the matching boards for free at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/freebeans.html