Extract
Movement skill assessment of typically developing preschool children: a review of seven movement skill assessment tools.
Introduction
Usually, children attending preschool range in age from three to six, although in Europe some differences between countries exist (Eurydice, 2002). This age period is a sensitive period for the development of fundamental movement skills [FMS] (Gallahue and Donnely, 2003). Because most preschool children are naturally curious, love to play and explore, these FMS are learned very easily. Especially when stimulation, opportunities to play and to be physically active or sport are offered. The mastery of certain FMS is a prerequisite for daily life functioning and participation in later physical or sport-specific activities. At an early age, gross movement skills are necessary to move, stabilize and control body and objects while exploring the environment. Later in life, well developed gross movement skills help individuals to function more smoothly. Fine movement skills are necessary for the development of basic self-help skills. Also drawing and writing are based on fine movement skill development. Later in life well developed fine movement skills are as important as gross movement skills. During infancy, development is evaluated almost exclusively by motor development (Berk, 2003). Once a child can reach, grasp and walk, however, interest in the further development of more complex movement skills is reduced and more attention is given to the development of cognitive, social and emotional aspects. Motor development is basically only taken into consideration when dysfunctions or inefficient movement behavior appears (Davies, 2003). Research in the area of movement skill development mainly focuses on motor impairment and motor deficits. Hence, research on FMS development and performance in developing children is scarce and rather fragmentary. The information which is available is mostly based on the sequences of developmental change in movement patterns and can be found in literature such as Gallahue and Ozmun (2006) and Haywood and Getchell (2005). Normative data on FMS development and performance are mainly derived from control or normative samples in research studies on children with a developmental disorder. In general, normative data on FMS development and performance of European samples of preschool are scarce. Different tools to assess movement performance in early childhood are available (Barnett and Peters, 2004; Simons, 2004; Vallaey and Vandroemme, 2001; Wiart and Darrah, 1999). Most of these tools are aimed at a specific target group and hence have specific content. The movement assessment can be norm- or criterion referenced. A norm-referenced test compares the child's performance to that of a normative group, and quantifies the child's movement skill competence. A criterion-referenced test compares the child's performance to predetermined criteria. A criterion-referenced test takes into account the qualitative aspects of the movements required to perform the movement skill item. A second form of movement skill assessment is through pupil monitoring instruments and is mainly used by teachers. Although many child monitoring instruments (SIG, 2005; Bertrands et al., 2003; van Gelder and Stroes, 2002) exist, there is little agreement on what might be expected in relation to children's FMS development (Haywood and Getchell, 2005). In addition to earlier reviews such as Barnett and Peters (2004), Tieman et al. (2005), Yoon et al. (2006) and Wiart and Darrah (2001), this article provides a review of seven movement skill assessment tools with the scope on movement development and performance in typical preschool children. The review explores the potential usefulness to assess movement performance in an educational research context. Six of these tests are often used or referred to in a European and international context (Bos, 2003; Simons, 2004; Vallaey and Vandroemme 1999). The seventh, the Maastrichtse Motoriek Test (MMT) is a recently developed tool and is added because of its innovative combination of quantification and qualification of movement skills development and performance. Different aspects of the assessment to...See the full content of this document
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