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Overlap of language and motor skills between children with DCD and DLD

Overlap of language and motor skills between children with DCD and DLD

El impacto de Wii Fit intervención en el control de equilibrio dinámico en niños con Trastorno de probables problemas de equilibrio y la coordinación del desarrollo

The aim of this study was to examine differences in the performance of children with probable Developmental Coordination Disorder (p-DCD) and balance problems (BP) and typical developing children (TD) on a Wii Fit task and to measure the effect on balance skills after a Wii Fit intervention. Twenty-eight children with BP and 20 TD-children participated in the study. Motor performance was assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC2), three subtests of the Bruininks Oseretsky Test (BOT2): Bilateral Coordination, Balance and Running Speed & Agility, and a Wii Fit ski slalom test. The TD children and half of the children in the BP group were tested before and after a 6 weeks non-intervention period. All children with BP received 6 weeks of Wii Fit intervention (with games other than the ski game) and were tested before and afterwards. Children with BP were less proficient than TD children in playing the Wii Fit ski slalom game. Training with the Wii Fit improved their motor performance. The improvement was significantly larger after intervention than after a period of non-intervention. Therefore the change cannot solely be attributed to spontaneous development or test-retest effect. Nearly all children enjoyed participation during the 6 weeks of intervention. Our study shows that Wii Fit intervention is effective and is potentially a method to support treatment of (dynamic) balance control problems in children.

Age-dependent relationships between children’s motor competence, physical activity, perceived motor competence, physical fitness and weight status

In their developmental model, Stodden et al. (2008) propose age-dependent relations between motor competence, physical activity,perceived motor competence, physical fitness, and weight status thatcan lead to a spiral of (dis)engagement. The goal of this study was toexplore these relations in a large sample of Dutch primary schoolchildren. To our knowledge, this is the first study including all fiveaspects of the model and a large sample of children between four andthirteen years old. Cross-sectional data was collected in 2068 children(ages 4–13), divided over 9 age groups. During physical educationclasses, they completed the 4-Skills Test, a physical activity question-naire, versions of the Self-Perception Profile for Children, Eurofit testand anthropometry measurements. Correlation coefficients per agegroup were calculated (full information maximum likelihood) andtransformed using a Fisher’s r to z transformation, after which thetest-statistic z was calculated. The results show that all five factors arerelated to each other and that a tipping point exists at which relationsemerge or strengthen. Physical fitness is related to motor competenceand physical activity and these relationships strengthen with age. Arelationship between BMI and the other four factors emerges in middlechildhood. Although the model described that physical activity stimu-lates motor competence in early childhood, our data showed that at ayoung age, both motor competence and perceived motor competencehad no relation with physical activity, while they were weakly related toeach other. In middle childhood, both motor competence and perceivedmotor competence were related to physical activity. Our findingsdemonstrate that children in late childhood who have higher perceivedmotor competence are also more physically active, have higher physicalfitness, higher motor competence and lower BMI. Our results indicatethat targeting motor competence at a young age might be a feasible wayto ensure continued participation in physical activities throughoutchildhood and adolescence. Funding source: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.

Healthy development of children: a spiral of (dis)engagement?

Background: Healthy development of children is under pressure. While governments, schools and organizations are trying to stimulate physical activity in children, reduce overweight and improve motor skills, they are facing challenges in finding effective strategies. The model proposed by Stodden et al. (2008) is an interesting framework for studying healthy development of children, as it encompasses the physical aspect (motor skill competence, physical fitness, weight status), the mental aspect (perceived competence) and a behavioral component (physical activity). Importantly, it acknowledges the developmental stages of children by including age. Therefore, this model serves as the basis for this study in which we are looking for insights to effectively influence healthy development of children. Methods and Results: We measured these five variables in a large sample (N > 1000) of children in the Netherlands (age: 4-12, 50% girls). Through structural equation modeling we searched for cross-sectional as well as 1-year longitudinal relationships. Our results showed concurrent relationships between all variables and a tipping point at which relationships emerged or strengthened. The results indicated that targeting motor competence at a young age might be a feasible way to ensure continued participation in physical activities. However, longitudinal analyses revealed no effect of motor skill competence (T1) on physical activity (T2). Physical fitness appeared to be more important as a potential mediator than perceived motor competence. As a follow-up study, the five variables will be analyzed via a person-centered approach (latent profile analyses). This will guide us towards tailoring future interventions to the specific needs of subgroups of children. Analyses of this study are ongoing and will be presented at the conference. Conclusions: Our multiple analyses have shed additional light on the complexity of healthy development of children. In the upcoming presentation we will unite our study findings and delineate implications for developing effective strategies.

Onderzoek naar de inzet van ervaringsdeskundige ouders als buddy’s in het onderwijs

Het lectoraat Informele netwerken en laatmoderniteit van de Christelijke Hogeschool Ede (CHE) deed onderzoek naar bestaande praktijken waarin ouders door ervaringsdeskundige ouders (ook wel buddy’s genoemd) worden ondersteund. Uit dit onderzoek blijkt de meerwaarde van een buddysysteem voor zowel ouders als voor het onderwijs. Een andere les is dat het buddysysteem zodanig moet worden opgezet dat 't het vertrouwen van het onderwijs krijgt en dat het dichtbij de ouders staat. Een buddy is er voor de ouders, maar moet helpen de lijn naar het onderwijs open te krijgen of open te houden.