Search

Because children with visual impairments tend to be inactive, they are 1.5 times more likely to be considered overweight or obese than are their sighted peers. Although some barriers to physical activity have been identified (for example, lack of opportunity and transportation issues); little has been done to empirically identify predictors of physical activity among this population. Given the importance of perceptions of motor competence during the early years of childhood, since it predicts physical activity and motor competence during adolescence, it is critical that perceptions of motor competence for young children with visual impairments are understood. Therefore, the purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the developmental trajectory of perceptions of motor competence of children ages 3 to 13 years, with and without visual impairments.

This paper examined relationships between qualitative (developmental sequences) and quantitative (time) performance in rising from a supine position in early childhood. One hundred twenty two children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years were videotaped for five trials of rising from a supine position. Children's performance on the supine-to-stand (STS) task was quite variable in terms of both qualitative movement patterns and time (mean = 2.37 s, SD =.60). Results: Component sequences were moderately to strongly correlated with each other (r =.387 to.791). Upper-extremity (r = –.383) and axial (r = –.416) component levels also were inversely correlated with STS time. Results indicated a strong coordinative link between the development of trunk control (i.e., axial movement) and upper-extremity movement levels (r =.791), and together they demonstrated the strongest impact on the ability to rise quickly. These data provide important information relating to a child's motor development that may have clinical relevance for diagnosis. It provides also a greater understanding on how to improve performance on this task. Future research should examine qualitative and quantitative aspects of STS performance to understand its predictive utility as a lifespan assessment of motor competence and its potential importance as a measure to predict healthrelated variables and functional capability across the lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A person's ability to rise from the floor to a standing position is seen as a precursor for establishing and maintaining bipedal independence. It also is an important primer for the development of other fundamental movement skills and is associated with functional capacity in later life. Thus, the potential importance of developing this movement capability early in life and understanding how it may relate to global function (i.e., motor competence [MC]) across the lifespan may be underestimated. Therefore, this study examined the validity of supine-to-stand test (STS) as a developmental measure of functional MC across childhood into young adulthood using a pre-longitudinal screen approach and examining associations between movement components. STS time also provided a secondary measure of developmental validity in addition to an examination of the concurrent validity of STS against developmentally valid measures of MC (i.e., throwing, kicking, hopping, and standing long jump) in these age groups. Overall, results indicated that cross-sectional data "curves" for the STS components generally fit Roberton's hypothetical model curves. STS time demonstrated weak to moderate (r = −.28 to −.64) correlations to MC product measures across all age groups indicating that STS time can be considered a valid and reliable measure of MC across childhood into young adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined relationships between qualitative (developmental sequences) and quantitative (time) performance in rising from a supine position in early childhood. One hundred twenty two children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years were videotaped for five trials of rising from a supine position. Children's performance on the supine-to-stand (STS) task was quite variable in terms of both qualitative movement patterns and time (mean = 2.37 s, SD = .60). Results: Component sequences were moderately to strongly correlated with each other (r = .387 to .791). Upper-extremity (r = -.383) and axial (r = -.416) component levels also were inversely correlated with STS time. Results indicated a strong coordinative link between the development of trunk control (i.e., axial movement) and upperextremity movement levels (r = .791) and together they demonstrated the strongest impact on the ability to rise quickly. These data provide important information relating to a child's motor development that may have clinical relevance for diagnosis. It provides also a greater understanding on how to improve performance on this task. Future research should examine qualitative and quantitative aspects of STS performance to understand its predictive utility as a lifespan assessment of motor competence and its potential importance as a measure to predict healthrelated variables and functional capability across the lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]