The effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention in pre-schoolers with motor problems depends on gender but not environmental context.
Two extra 60-minute structured motor sessions per week push preschoolers with delays into average TGMD-2 range, but plan extra object-control practice for boys.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bardid et al. (2013) ran a 10-week motor program in preschools. Kids with motor delays got two extra 60-minute sessions each week.
Half the kids got the lessons at school. Half got the same lessons at home. The team wanted to know if place or gender changed the results.
What they found
The program lifted most kids into the average range on the TGMD-2 test. Girls also got better at throwing and catching, but boys did not.
School and home groups improved the same amount. Place did not matter; gender did.
How this fits with other research
Lam et al. (2019) bundled motor lessons inside a bigger preschool package. Their wider program also helped motor skills, showing the Farid lessons can slot into a full-day mix of ABA, speech, and OT.
Lung et al. (2011) tracked typical kids and saw girls ahead in fine-motor skills. Farid’s girl-only gain in object control lines up with that norm, hinting that boys with delays may need extra practice or different cues.
Richman et al. (2001) used the same 10-week, group format for discrete-trial language drills. Both studies show you can run short, direct-instruction cycles in preschool classrooms and see clear skill jumps.
Why it matters
If you run motor groups for preschoolers with delays, add object-control drills for boys since girls improve on their own. Two extra hours a week is enough to move scores into the average band, and you can deliver the lessons in whatever space you have.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study evaluated the effect of a 10-week fundamental motor skill programme in pre-schoolers with motor problems. Alongside the general effect of the intervention, we also explored possible gender differences and the role of the environmental context (living community, socio-economic status, and recreational space inside/outside the house). The intervention group (n=47; 20 ♂ and 27 ♀) received twenty 60-min motor skill sessions (2 per week) in addition to the regular physical education curriculum for pre-schoolers; the control group (n=46; 21 ♂ and 25 ♀) did not receive additional practice. General motor competence, and locomotor and object control subscales, were assessed before and after the intervention using the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd edition (TGMD-2). Data regarding environmental factors were gathered through a questionnaire. A Group×Gender×Time ANOVA revealed that the intervention group benefited significantly from the intervention and scored better than the control group at the post-test for general motor competence and both sub-categories (locomotor and object control skill). Moreover, the intervention programme was found to be effective in helping 49% of the intervention group to achieve an average motor skill level, according to the TGMD-2 norms, while a further decline in motor competence was observed in the control group. Interestingly, the effect appeared to be gender-specific, since object control skill improved only in girls of the intervention group. Considering the environmental context, none of the above-mentioned factors was found to have an influence on the effectiveness of the intervention. The present study highlights the need for an early motor skill programme with a gender-specific approach in order to help low skilled boys and girls master a diverse set of motor skills.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.09.035