Visual and Motor Sequencing in Normal and Clumsy Children

Abstract

An information-processing approach was used to investigate motor performance differences between normal children and children designated as clumsy. The focus of this study was on the planning stages of motor skill. Following a motor skills screening test, 38 children 6 to 9 years old were divided into a control group, consisting of children who had passed the screening and an experimental group consisting of children who had failed the screening. The children then performed three tasks involving visual and motor sequencing selected for this study: (a) visual sequencing and short-term recall of visual stimuli, (b) visual sequencing and long-term recall of skilled motor acts, and (c) visual sequencing and short-term recall with motor reproduction. Results of the study indicated that children who had failed the motor skills screening did significantly worse than the control group on the three tasks. Implications for occupational therapy are discussed in terms of the importance of perception in motor skill performance.