This study aimed to explore the performance of the perceptual-visuomotor skills and the production of handwriting in children with Learning Disabilities.A total of 56 children participated,being a convenience sample,o...This study aimed to explore the performance of the perceptual-visuomotor skills and the production of handwriting in children with Learning Disabilities.A total of 56 children participated,being a convenience sample,of both sexes,average age of eight years old,from 3rd to 5th grade level of Elementary School.The children were divided into the following groups:GI(28 children diagnosed with Learning Disabilities);GII(28 children with good academic performance,paired with GI in relation to chronological age and sex).They were evaluated individually in dysgraphic scale,visual perception development test,and fine motor evaluation.Data analysis was performed.There was a significant difference between GI and GII for the subtests of eye-hand coordination,copying,visual closure,fine motor precision,and fine manual control tests.They had difference between the groups for handwriting performance in descending and/or ascending subtests,irregularity of dimension,poor forms,and total score of Dysgraphia Scale.The results presented in this study indicate that children with Learning Disabilities can manifest significant visomotor impairment and deficit in legibility and handwriting quality,causing failures in the elaboration of sensorimotor plans that,added to the intrinsic deficit of long-term memory,result in persistent academic difficulties.展开更多
Once people have a well-trained motor skill, their performance becomes stabilized and achieving substantial improvement is difficult. Recently, we have shown that even a plateaued hand motor skill can be upgraded with...Once people have a well-trained motor skill, their performance becomes stabilized and achieving substantial improvement is difficult. Recently, we have shown that even a plateaued hand motor skill can be upgraded with short-period electrical stimulation to the hand prior to the task. Here, we identify the neuronal substrates underlying the improvement of the plateaued skill by examining the enhanced functional connectivity in the sensory-motor regions that are associated with motor learning. We measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging and performed psychophysiological interaction analysis. We recruited seven right-handed very-well trained participants, whose motor performance of continuously rotating two balls with their right hands became stabilized at higher performance levels. We prepared two experiments, in each of which they repeated an experimental run 16 times. In each run, they performed this cyclic rotation as many times as possible in 16 s. In the thenar-stimulation experiment, we applied 60-s stimulation to the thenar muscle before each of the 5th - 12th runs, and the others were preceded by ineffective sham stimulation. In the control experiment, the sham was always provided. Thenar stimulation enabled the participants to perform the movements at higher cycles. In association with this performance improvement, we found enhanced activity couplings between the primary motor cortex and the sensorimotor territory of the putamen and between the cerebellum and the primary sensorimotor cortices, without any quantitative activity increase. Neither behavioral change nor these increased activity couplings were observed in the control.Thus, in contrast to the stable neuronal states in the cortico-subcortical motor circuits when the well-learned task is repeated at the later stages of motor skill learning, plastic changes in the motor circuits seem to be required when the plateaued skill is upgraded, and the stimulation may entail a state of readiness for the plastic change that allows subsequent performance improvement.展开更多
People learn things all their lives. They learn various skills in order to live. In these skills there are language learning and many other kinds of learning. This paper is intended to show some differences between se...People learn things all their lives. They learn various skills in order to live. In these skills there are language learning and many other kinds of learning. This paper is intended to show some differences between second language learning and skill learning. Theories on Second Language Acquisition and Motor Skill learning are introduced exclusively.展开更多
Background： A positive association between fundamental movement skills （FMS） and physical activity （PA） has been shown in previous research of children with and without disability. This pilot study explored a cau...Background： A positive association between fundamental movement skills （FMS） and physical activity （PA） has been shown in previous research of children with and without disability. This pilot study explored a causal mechanism for such relationship, and hypothesized that when FMS proficiency is improved, enhanced PA uptake will be found in children with and without disability. It was further hypothesized that improving FMS proficiency will have a greater impact on children with disability than those without disability. Methods： Participants include typically developing （TD） children without disability and children with cerebral palsy （CP）, who were allocated to FMS training groups （CP-FMS n = 12, TD-FMS n = 13） and control groups （CP-C n = 12, TD-C n = 13）. Training groups practiced five FMS （run, jump, kick, throw, catch） in weekly 45-min sessions for 4 weeks. Control groups had their regular physiotherapy （CP） or physical education （TD） sessions. FMS were evaluated using process- and product-oriented measures, and PA was measured using accelerometers, before and after training. Results： It was verified that training groups gained improvements in FMS while control groups did not. No significant changes in weekday PA were found. Increased weekend moderate to vigorous physical activity （MVPA） was found in the CP-FMS group, while decreased weekend sedentary time was found in the CP-FMS and TD-FMS groups. The percentages of participants who exceeded the minimum detectable change （MDC9o） in MVPA and sedentary time were larger in children with CP than in children without disability. Conclusion： The findings suggest that improved FMS proficiency could potentially contribute to heightened PA and decreased sedentary time during weekends for children. Such effect of improved FMS proficiency on PA appears to be greater in those with physical disability than in those without disability. It is recommended that the findings of this pilot study should be further examined in future research.展开更多
文摘This study aimed to explore the performance of the perceptual-visuomotor skills and the production of handwriting in children with Learning Disabilities.A total of 56 children participated,being a convenience sample,of both sexes,average age of eight years old,from 3rd to 5th grade level of Elementary School.The children were divided into the following groups:GI(28 children diagnosed with Learning Disabilities);GII(28 children with good academic performance,paired with GI in relation to chronological age and sex).They were evaluated individually in dysgraphic scale,visual perception development test,and fine motor evaluation.Data analysis was performed.There was a significant difference between GI and GII for the subtests of eye-hand coordination,copying,visual closure,fine motor precision,and fine manual control tests.They had difference between the groups for handwriting performance in descending and/or ascending subtests,irregularity of dimension,poor forms,and total score of Dysgraphia Scale.The results presented in this study indicate that children with Learning Disabilities can manifest significant visomotor impairment and deficit in legibility and handwriting quality,causing failures in the elaboration of sensorimotor plans that,added to the intrinsic deficit of long-term memory,result in persistent academic difficulties.
文摘Once people have a well-trained motor skill, their performance becomes stabilized and achieving substantial improvement is difficult. Recently, we have shown that even a plateaued hand motor skill can be upgraded with short-period electrical stimulation to the hand prior to the task. Here, we identify the neuronal substrates underlying the improvement of the plateaued skill by examining the enhanced functional connectivity in the sensory-motor regions that are associated with motor learning. We measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging and performed psychophysiological interaction analysis. We recruited seven right-handed very-well trained participants, whose motor performance of continuously rotating two balls with their right hands became stabilized at higher performance levels. We prepared two experiments, in each of which they repeated an experimental run 16 times. In each run, they performed this cyclic rotation as many times as possible in 16 s. In the thenar-stimulation experiment, we applied 60-s stimulation to the thenar muscle before each of the 5th - 12th runs, and the others were preceded by ineffective sham stimulation. In the control experiment, the sham was always provided. Thenar stimulation enabled the participants to perform the movements at higher cycles. In association with this performance improvement, we found enhanced activity couplings between the primary motor cortex and the sensorimotor territory of the putamen and between the cerebellum and the primary sensorimotor cortices, without any quantitative activity increase. Neither behavioral change nor these increased activity couplings were observed in the control.Thus, in contrast to the stable neuronal states in the cortico-subcortical motor circuits when the well-learned task is repeated at the later stages of motor skill learning, plastic changes in the motor circuits seem to be required when the plateaued skill is upgraded, and the stimulation may entail a state of readiness for the plastic change that allows subsequent performance improvement.
文摘People learn things all their lives. They learn various skills in order to live. In these skills there are language learning and many other kinds of learning. This paper is intended to show some differences between second language learning and skill learning. Theories on Second Language Acquisition and Motor Skill learning are introduced exclusively.
基金supported by the Sciences of Learning Strategic Research Theme of the University of Hong Kong
文摘Background： A positive association between fundamental movement skills （FMS） and physical activity （PA） has been shown in previous research of children with and without disability. This pilot study explored a causal mechanism for such relationship, and hypothesized that when FMS proficiency is improved, enhanced PA uptake will be found in children with and without disability. It was further hypothesized that improving FMS proficiency will have a greater impact on children with disability than those without disability. Methods： Participants include typically developing （TD） children without disability and children with cerebral palsy （CP）, who were allocated to FMS training groups （CP-FMS n = 12, TD-FMS n = 13） and control groups （CP-C n = 12, TD-C n = 13）. Training groups practiced five FMS （run, jump, kick, throw, catch） in weekly 45-min sessions for 4 weeks. Control groups had their regular physiotherapy （CP） or physical education （TD） sessions. FMS were evaluated using process- and product-oriented measures, and PA was measured using accelerometers, before and after training. Results： It was verified that training groups gained improvements in FMS while control groups did not. No significant changes in weekday PA were found. Increased weekend moderate to vigorous physical activity （MVPA） was found in the CP-FMS group, while decreased weekend sedentary time was found in the CP-FMS and TD-FMS groups. The percentages of participants who exceeded the minimum detectable change （MDC9o） in MVPA and sedentary time were larger in children with CP than in children without disability. Conclusion： The findings suggest that improved FMS proficiency could potentially contribute to heightened PA and decreased sedentary time during weekends for children. Such effect of improved FMS proficiency on PA appears to be greater in those with physical disability than in those without disability. It is recommended that the findings of this pilot study should be further examined in future research.
