Reading material on improving movement analysis and therapy

Information about motor skills, division of skills (conditional and coordination skills), milestones in movement development – highlighting the age of the child being tested, motor learning and possible consequences of poor skills. Development opportunities, directions (spatial perception, directions, etc.), tools. Possibilities of using other motor skill tests – proprietary tests. (Extension of this information available in the e-manual) 

Highlighted key parts detailed: 

Three broad groups of coordination skills can be distinguished:

• Fine motor skills: These involve the coordinated movement of small muscles, such as those in the hands, fingers, lips, tongue, and eyes. They encompass manual dexterity, the ability to grip and manipulate objects, writing, drawing, handling objects, dressing, buttoning, and more.

• Hand-eye coordination: This refers to the ability to receive visual information and control the hands in a task, such as catching a ball.

• Gross motor skills: These involve the coordinated movement of large muscles or groups of muscles, such as those used for walking, running, and jumping.

Furthermore, motor coordination is the ability to coordinate muscle activation in a sequence that maintains posture. This includes the ability to maintain a controlled body position during task performance, both in static (still) activities like keeping a standing position, and dynamic (moving) activities like maintaining balance while moving.

Movement milestones – targeted age:  5 year old children 

Fine Motor Skills: 

• tripod pencil grasp 

• dresses and undresses without assistance 

• unbuttons and buttons medium-size buttons 

• colours between lines 

• draws person with at least three body parts (mostly between 5-10) 

• “quasi” writing – pretending to write 

• copies triangle and square and other geometric shapes 

• cuts out a circle 

Hand-eye Skills:  

• Ball throwing with trunk rotation: 

Rotation of the trunk is already strongly engaged: the ball is over the shoulder, the elbow extension is still dominant during the throw, stepping forward with the same foot as the throwing arm during the throw. 

• Ball handling: 

can throw a tennis ball 1-2 meters into the bin (spinal rotation is already activated) 

can now mostly catch a large ball, hip and knee flexion to make a soft catch 

can kick not only the stationary ball but also the rolling ball 

• Lateral dominance is established, stabilized 

Gross Motor Skills: 

• static balance: standing on one foot for 8 to 10 second

• dynamic balance: 

walking, running, jumping 

walking on a beam, feet in front of each other 

walking on tip toes 

jumping forward from a standing position at a distance of about 70-80 cm  

can turn backwards 180° by jumping up from a standing position 

jumping backwards with even feet 6 times in a row 

bunny hopping, frog jumping 

skipping with alternating feet 

hopping 8 to 10 times on one foot 

jumping over an object and landing with both feet together 

galloping, leaping (leaping in place, jumping up and down, more precariously jumping forwards and backwards on even feet, jumping forwards and upwards from one leg )

somersaulting without leaning sideways 

swinging, climbing