An external focus of attention enhances motor learning in children with intellectual disabilities.
Tell kids with ID to watch the object, not their body, to lock in motor skills faster.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team worked with children who have mild intellectual disability.
Kids practiced beanbag throwing for one short session.
Half were told to watch the beanbag fly. The other half were told to move their hand.
Then everyone took a test throw to see who kept the skill.
What they found
Children told to watch the beanbag flew landed closer to the target.
The hand-move group did not throw as well.
A simple shift in words helped the kids learn the motor skill better.
How this fits with other research
Capio et al. (2013) ran a similar throwing study the same year. They cut errors during practice and also saw better form.
S et al. used a different trick: they changed where kids looked, not how many errors happened. Both ideas point to the same goal—fewer mistakes while learning.
Fantino (1968) showed that fading prompts beats trial-and-error for kids with severe ID. The new study adds motor skills to that old lesson: guide attention, don’t flood the learner.
Why it matters
Next time you teach a motor skill, skip body talk. Say, “Watch the ball hit the bucket,” not, “Bend your elbow.” One sentence swap can save minutes of trial-and-error and boost carry-over to new settings.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The present study examined whether the learning benefits of an external focus of attention (i.e., on the movement effect) relative to an internal focus (i.e. on the movement), found previously in non-disabled children and adults would also be found in children with intellectual disabilities (IDs). METHODS: Participants (n = 24; average age: 12.2 years) with mild intellectual deficiency (IQ = 51-69) practiced throwing beanbags at a target. In the external focus group, participants were instructed to direct their attention to the movement of the beanbag, while in the internal focus group, participants were asked to direct their attention to the movement of their hand. The practice phase consisted of 40 trials, and attentional focus reminders were given after every third trial. Learning was assessed 1 day later by retention and transfer (greater target distance) tests, each consisting of 10 trials. No focus reminders were given on that day. RESULTS: The external focus group demonstrated more effective learning than the internal focus group, as evidenced by more accurate tosses on the transfer test. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings show that instructions that induce an external focus of attention can enhance motor learning in children with IDs.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2013 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01569.x