Improvement Of Gross Motor Skills Research Articles

Effects of Physical Exercise on Gross Motor Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Research shows many positive effects from physical exercise. The present study examined the impact of a structured physical exercise program compared to treatment as usual on the gross motor skills of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants included 20 children, from 4 to 7years old, who were assigned to two groups; an experimental group (n = 10) who received a structured physical exercise program for 60-min sessions, three times a week for eight weeks, and a control group (n = 10) who received conventional physiotherapy. Gross motor skills were assessed with the Abbreviated Development Scale -3 before and after the physical exercise program. The experimental group exhibited significant improvements in gross motor skills compared to the control group. This study suggests that structured physical exercise programs can improve gross motor skills in children with ASD.

Impact of a 12-month multifaceted neurological physiotherapy intervention on gross motor function in women with Rett syndrome.

Rett syndrome is a rare genetic neurological syndrome that affects mostly females. The syndrome leads to severe impairments impacting all areas of the affected persons' life, including speech, mobility, eating, and breathing impairments. The most distinct symptoms include stereotyped hand movements, ataxia, and atrophy of the lower limbs, and signs of autism. According to the principle of convenience sampling, the quantitative research included five females diagnosed with Rett syndrome subject to their personalized goal oriented neurological physiotherapy. Changes in gross motor function were assessed by the Gross Motor Function Measure 88 and Rett syndrome Gross Motor Scale. It was found that the 12-month multifaceted neurological physiotherapy intervention had statistically significant improvements in both Gross Motor Function Measure 88 (p = 0.005) and Rett syndrome Gross Motor Scale (p = 0.012). Despite positive improvements, the absence of control group made it difficult for a comparative evaluation to determine what interventions had the best possible outcomes. The quantitative research demonstrates neuro-developmental treatment sessions, hippotherapy, hydrotherapy, physical therapy, a walking program, endurance exercises, active-assisted exercises, and coordination exercises, had a significant impact on improving gross motor function status. Current multifaceted intervention program leads to good improvement of gross motor skills above what can be expected from late motor deterioration.

Cognitively enriched physical activity may foster motor competence and executive function as early as preschool age: a pilot trial

ABSTRACT Background The relation between physical activity (PA), motor skills and cognitive function in children is receiving considerable attention. To transition scientific evidence into pedagogical practice, however, we need to further our understanding of which qualitative PA characteristics are best suited to stimulate motor skills and executive functions (EFs) relevant for children to develop their full potential. Purpose The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of cognitively enriched PA on the development of motor skills and core EFs at preschool age, which is still less investigated than middle childhood in exercise and cognition research. Specific objectives were to also provide detailed information on the intervention for replicability and effect sizes for sample size computation for future well-powered studies. Participants and setting A sample of 36 children (19 girls; 17 boys) aged 3–6 years was divided in two intervention groups allocated to afterschool PA enriched with cognitive challenges or swimming (45-minute sessions twice a week for 12 weeks) and one control group that did not practise any afterschool PA. Methods Before and after the intervention period, children were assessed for gross and fine motor skills with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 2nd edition (PDMS-2) and for core EFs (working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility) with the Forward Word Span Test and Trail Making Test for young children. Intervention effects were explored with two-way Repeated Measures MANOVAs (Group × Time), followed by similar ANOVAs for each dependent variable, planned pairwise comparisons for post-hoc simple effects. Results Only children assigned to the enriched PA intervention showed significant improvements in gross motor skills (p = .001, = .35) and working memory (p < .001, = .53) with higher performances at post-test as compared to children assigned to swimming, who showed a marginally significant, less pronounced gross motor improvement, or to the control group, which did not show any improvement. Both intervention groups also showed significant and similar improvements in fine motor skills (p = .011, = .24) but no between-group differences at post-test, as they caught up, reaching the level of the control group at post-test. Conclusions The results suggest that cognitive enrichment in PA is a viable way to ‘fill two needs with one deed’ as early as preschool age. The ‘two needs’ are motor and cognitive development promotion, while the ‘one deed’ is designed PA that joins physical and cognitive challenges. The results are discussed in the framework of pedagogical approaches to motor and cognitive development promotion through early quality PA experiences and limitations of this pilot study are presented to orient future research.

Efficacy of mirror therapy for improving unimanual motor skills in chronic stroke patients: A case series

BACKGROUND: Unimanual activities are suggested as an effective intervention for the moderately or severely affected chronic stroke patients and bimanual activities for mildly affected cases in mirror therapy. OBJECTIVE: To observe the feasibility of unimanual mirror therapy to improve the motor skills of the effected hand in mild chronic stroke patients. METHODS: In this is case series study, n = 20 mildly affected chronic stroke patients were screened for participation in a nursing home setting. They were 45–60 years of stroke included ischemia (n = 3) and aneurysm (n = 1) of anterior cerebral artery, median time:3 years. The gross (Fugl-Meyer Assessment test), fine motor (Box and Block Tests) skills, the tripot pinch grip power (JTech Commander PichTrack) were assessed at baseline and post intervention. The intervention supervised included unimanual activities of the non-affected hands for 30 min, 5 days/week for 6 weeks. RESULTS: N = 4 participants were recruited from a nursing home setting; median age: 45, Gender: 3M; 1W. The causes of stroke included ischemia (n = 3) and aneurysm of anterior cerebral artery (n = 1). The median years of stroke was 3 years. The improvement in the gross motor skills (25%) of affected sides after unimanual training may be considered as feasable. There were also increase in tripot pinch grip power of the non-affected (34%) and affected hands (17%). The improvement in fine motor skills were 19% in affected hands the 10% in non-affected hands. CONCLUSIONS: The unimanual mirror therapy resulted in improvements in gross and fine motor skills and tripod pinch grip power of the affected hands of mild chronic stroke patients. This case series provides further evidence that mirror therapy is effective to improve function in patients with mild chronic stroke.

Is visuomotor training an effective intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders?

PurposeInvestigation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is somewhat dependent on addressing main core features of ASD. But it is not clear which kind of investigation can effect on more difficulties features. So, this study examines the effect of the visuomotor, motor, and computer-based training programs on social behavior, motor skills, and repetitive behaviors of children with ASD.Patients and methodsSixty children with ASD aged 6–12 years were recruited and assigned to one of the three experimental groups and the control group (each group n=15). Training was provided in 30 sessions, scheduled 3 times a week. Social behavior and repetitive behaviors were determined objectively using the observation method, and motor skills were evaluated by the Test of Gross Motor Development-2.ResultsOur results suggested that children in the visuomotor group showed a significant reduction in the repetitive behaviors and an increase in gross motor skill scores in the post-test and follow-up. Also, the results exhibited that motor training group significantly improved in social behavior either in the post-test or follow-up. Although the post-test illustrated a considerable improvement of gross motor skills, this difference was not significant in follow-up. Similarly, no significant change was observed in visual training and control groups in relation to study variables.ConclusionGiven the improvement of repetitive behaviors and gross motor skills in post-test and follow-up, it seems that this investigation had a positive effect with a good retention effect on two core features of children with ASD. But according to group-based training protocol in motor training group and improvement in social communication, and mutual effect on gross motor skills, it seems that group-based practice can also be used to achieve the benefits of social communication in the investigations.

Evaluation of a Direct-Instruction Intervention to Improve Movement and Preliteracy Skills among Young Children: A Within-Subject Repeated-Measures Design.

School readiness involves the development of foundational skills such as emergent literacy and fundamental movement skills as well as the capacity to attentively engage in instructional situations. Children do not develop these skills naturally; therefore, they need the opportunity to develop these skills in their early years prior to entering school. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a direct-instruction movement and preliteracy intervention in children aged 3-4 years. A within-subject repeated-measures design, embedded within a wait-list control study, was used to evaluate the intervention. The intervention was run across 10 weeks with 1 h weekly sessions. Each weekly session consisted of 30-min of movement skill instruction (e.g., through single-step acquisition strategies), 15-min of free play during which time children had access to a variety of equipment (e.g., balls, hula hoops, etc.) or toys (e.g., puzzles, building blocks), and a 15-min interactive reading circle during which children read a storybook and were taught 1-2 preliteracy skills (e.g., alphabet knowledge, narrative knowledge, etc.). A convenience sample of 11 children (mean age = 45.6 months, SD = 7.3) was recruited. All children were assessed four times: baseline (Time 1), pre-intervention (Time 2), post-intervention (Time 3), and 5-week follow-up (Time 4). Gross motor skills and preliteracy skills were assessed at each time point. There was a statistically significant effect of time on the change in gross motor skills (Wilks' lambda = 0.09, p = .002), print-concept skills (Wilks' lambda = 0.09, p = .001), and alphabet knowledge (Wilks' lambda = 0.29, p = .046). Post hoc analyses reveal non-significant changes between time 1 and 2 for motor and print-concept skills and significant changes in all three outcomes between time 2 and time 3. Participation in a direct-instruction movement and preliteracy program led to positive improvements in gross motor skills, print-concept knowledge, and alphabet knowledge in 3- to 4-year-old children over time. Future research needs to evaluate the effectiveness of this movement and preliteracy skill intervention on various other indicators of child development and health. Play and Pre-Literacy among Young Children (PLAY) NCT02432443.

Comparison of a robotic-assisted gait training program with a program of functional gait training for children with cerebral palsy: design and methods of a two group randomized controlled cross-over trial.

BackgroundEnhancement of functional ambulation is a key goal of rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy (CP) who experience gross motor impairment. Physiotherapy (PT) approaches often involve overground and treadmill-based gait training to promote motor learning, typically as free walking or with body-weight support. Robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT), using a device such as the Lokomat®Pro, may permit longer training duration, faster and more variable gait speeds, and support walking pattern guidance more than overground/treadmill training to further capitalize on motor learning principles. Single group pre-/post-test studies have demonstrated an association between RAGT and moderate to large improvements in gross motor skills, gait velocity and endurance. A single published randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing RAGT to a PT-only intervention showed no difference in gait kinematics. However, gross motor function and walking endurance were not evaluated and conclusions were limited by a large PT group drop-out rate.Methods/designIn this two-group cross-over RCT, children are randomly allocated to the RAGT or PT arm (each with twice weekly sessions for eight weeks), with cross-over to the other intervention arm following a six-week break. Both interventions are grounded in motor learning principles with incorporation of individualized mobility-based goals. Sessions are fully operationalized through manualized, menu-based protocols and post-session documentation to enhance internal and external validity. Assessments occur pre/post each intervention arm (four time points total) by an independent assessor. The co-primary outcomes are gross motor functional ability (Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) and 6-minute walk test), with secondary outcome measures assessing: (a) individualized goals; (b) gait variables and daily walking amounts; and (c) functional abilities, participation and quality of life. Investigators and statisticians are blinded to study group allocation in the analyses, and assessors are blinded to treatment group. The primary analysis will be the pre- to post-test differences (change scores) of the GMFM-66 and 6MWT between RAGT and PT groups.DiscussionThis study is the first RCT comparing RAGT to an active gait-related PT intervention in paediatric CP that addresses gait-related gross motor, participation and individualized outcomes, and as such, is expected to provide comprehensive information as to the potential role of RAGT in clinical practice. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02196298Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-016-3535-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Visual-Based Training Program for Motor Functions in Cerebral Palsied Children with Cortical Visual Impairment

Background /Aim: Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a temporary or permanent visual dysfunction resulting from damage to the visual systems in the brain that deal with processing and integrating visual information. The aim of current study was to investigate the effect of visual- based training program on motor functions in CP children with CVI. Methods: Twenty six spastic CP children with CVI from both sex, ranged in age from 2 to 4 years, participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to two groups of equal number; control (I) and study (II) groups. Children in group I received the conventional physical and occupational therapy program inside the normally lighted room. Children in group II received the same program given to group I using visual stimulation modalities inside the sensory room. Treatment duration for both groups was 2½ hours, 3 days per week for a successive three months. Gross and fine motor functions were evaluated before and after treatment using Gross Motor Function Measure Scale (GMFM) and Peabody Developmental Motor Scale (PDMS) respectively. Findings: This study showed a statistically significant improvement of gross motor skills in both groups (P=0.001), however, a significant difference was seen between both groups, but in favor to group II (P=0.000). Regarding fine motor skills, no significant improvement was seen in group I (P=0.15) however, significant improvement was obtained in group II (0.001) after treatment. Conclusion: Training of gross and fine motor skills using visual stimulation modalities inside sensory room is effective for CP children with CIV to improve their gross and fine motor functions. Key words: Cerebral palsy, Cortical visual impairment, Visual stimulation, Occupational therapy

Is the Cerebellum a Potential Target for Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease? Results of 1-Hz rTMS on Upper Limb Motor Tasks

The aim of this study was to find whether 1-Hz cerebellar repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could affect upper limb movement in early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty patients with PD underwent one session with real and one with sham rTMS. rTMS (1Hz, 600 pulses) was targeted at the right lateral cerebellum. Before and after rTMS, patients performed two motor tests with their fingers and hands (ball test, nine-hole peg test). The duration of these tests was measured. There were statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the results of the tests after real stimulation and sham stimulation. We excluded the impact of learning. After real rTMS, we observed a significantly faster response in the ball test and a slower response in the nine-hole peg test, both on the right upper limb. This study indicates the influence of 1-Hz cerebellar rTMS in modifying the voluntary movements of the upper limb in PD. This influence is differentiated: the improvement of gross motor skills and the worsening of fine motor skills.

A Novel Mutation in Type II Methemoglobinemia

Type II methemoglobinemia is a somatic deficiency of cytochrome b5 reductase with severe global neurologic impairment. We report a novel mutation in exon 3 of the CYB5R3 gene on chromosome 22 consisting of homozygous 1-base pair (bp) deletion noted as c.215delG; p.Gly72AlafsX100. The patient had improvement of gross motor skills, chewing, and swallowing that may be due to the initiation of daily ascorbic acid therapy. We hypothesize that a possible response to ascorbic acid may be related to the effect of making additional ferrous iron available for its role as a cofactor in carnitine synthesis.

Evaluation of physical therapy service for severely mentally impaired students with cerebral palsy.

The effects of two types of physical therapy service were studied over a five-month period in 19 severely mentally impaired cerebral palsied students aged 3 to 22 years. The students were paired and assigned to either a direct therapy treatment group or a supervised therapy management group. Ten similar students in a comparison group received no physical therapy. The study showed no significant difference in development of mature developmental reflexes, improvement of gross motor skills, or increase of passive joint motion among similar students placed in the direct, supervised, and comparison groups. This pilot study is not intended to decide the issue of physical therapy for these students. It does, however, indicate that objective tests may be used reliably to measure three major areas of sensory motor development. More extensive and longer-term studies are needed to determine the most beneficial form of physical therapy for this double-disability population.