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Effectiveness of motor interventions depends not only on learning content but also on the used teaching strategies. However, little is known regarding the application of teaching strategies in clinical practice. This study aimed to develop and assess psychometric properties of a new Dutch observational instrument to document teaching strategies: the Optimizing Performance through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning (OPTIMAL) Strategies Observational Tool (OSOT). Based on the OPTIMAL theory for motor learning from Wulf and Lewthwaite, the OSOT includes three variables: (a) expectancies, (b) autonomy, and (c) attention. The OSOT's content was created by extracting relevant items from literature and existing instruments. To assess its psychometric properties, a convenience sample of 18 physiotherapy sessions for children with developmental coordination disorder was employed. Video recordings of these sessions were analyzed using Noldus The Observer XT. Relative duration (percentage of session time) was calculated for each item. Intraclass correlations were calculated to examine interrater and intrarater reliability. The design process resulted in 43 items in total. Interrater and intrarater intraclass correlations ranged from 0.48 to 0.99, with 81% (interrater), respectively, 95% (intrarater) of the items scoring above 0.75, indicating excellent agreement. The OSOT enables systematic and reliable observation of Optimizing Performance through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning teaching strategies used by therapists in Dutch clinical settings.

This longitudinal study modeled children's complex executive function (EF) development using the Groton Maze Learning Task (GMLT). Using a cohort-sequential design, 147 children (61 males, 5.5-11 years) were recruited from six multicultural primary schools in Melbourne and Perth, Australia. Race/ethnicity data were not available. Children were assessed on the GMLT at 6-month intervals over 2-years between 2010 and 2012. Growth curve models describe age-related change from 5.5 to 12.5 years old. Results showed a quadratic growth trajectory on each measure of error--that is, those that reflect visuospatial memory, executive control (or the ability to apply rules for action), and complex EF. The ability to apply rules for action, while a rate-limiting factor in complex EF, develops rapidly over early-to-mid childhood.

Sound-augmented toys producing factual knowledge were thought to encourage incidental, playful learning in children with visual impairments (VIs). A group of 15 children with VIs and 22 sighted controls played with a sound-augmented savannah landscape and listened to an informative story in a counterbalanced order. Children's knowledge about savannah animals was assessed at baseline and after each condition in order to quantitatively compare knowledge gains between conditions. Results indicated that children with VIs gained more knowledge than sighted controls from playing with the sound-augmented toy. Furthermore, offering both the augmented toy and the informative story led to higher knowledge gains than a single medium, especially in children with VIs. Sound-augmented toys could therefore be a useful addition to the current curriculum in special education for children with VIs.

Background: Participation in youth sports is a major determinant of current and future health, yet participation rates are declining. It is of great importance to examine the factors that potentially influence adolescents' levels of participation in organised sports. Aim: First, we examined change in participation over two years from the start of secondary education. Second, we examined whether a combination of factors (i.e. motives, barriers, perceived competence, encouragement and motor skills) based on the Youth Physical Activity Promotion model was associated with participation after one year. Third, we examined whether the associations between each of the factors and participation in organised sports changed over time. Methods: Data were collected on three occasions between October 2020 and November 2022 using questionnaires, motor skill test items and anthropometric measurements. We analysed data from 204 Dutch adolescents (11 to 14 years) using dependent t tests, Cochran's Q test and multilevel linear fixed effects regression models. Results: First, participation in organised sports was stable during the first years of secondary education. Second, adolescents who reported higher motives, higher perceptions of competence and more encouragement spent more time in organised sports one year later. Barriers and motor skills did not predict participation. Third, relationships of each of the six factors with participation remained stable over time. Conclusion: Although participation in organised sports is often considered to decline during the first years of secondary education, it can be stable for a significant portion of the population. Motives, perceived competence, and encouragement seem crucial to stimulate adolescents' participation in organised sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A large proportion of adolescents with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are physically inactive. Physical literacy has been described as an important determinant in promoting health behaviours. The potential of exergames to improve physical literacy and activity has been recognized in typically developing children. The aim of the present scoping review was to identify and map the available evidence of this potential for adolescents with DCD. Methods: A scoping review was performed via a literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ERIC and CINHAIL. Results: From 2860 search records, six studies (two studies in DCD and four studies in cerebral palsy [CP]) assessed physical activity, 12 studies discussed exergame features and 16 studies assessed physical literacy domains. In DCD, one study showed positive effects of exergaming on physical activity and the other failed to show any significant effects of exergaming. In CP, all four studies demonstrated positive effects of exergaming on energy expenditure and daily physical activity. Furthermore, positive effects of exergames on the different physical literacy domains were shown, namely motor competence, self‐concept and affect, motivation and social/experiential. Finally, exergame features including multiplayer modes, realism, game rewards, challenges and enjoyment were shown to have a significant effect on motivating and encouraging adolescents to exert more effort while playing. Conclusion: Based on the positive effects of exergaming on physical activity in other populations, more in‐depth research in adolescents with DCD is warranted such that the decline in physical activity behaviour that is present in individuals with DCD can be counteracted. Physical literacy should be regarded as an important determinant in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A large pool of evidence supports the beneficial effect of an external focus of attention on motor skill performance in adults. In children, this effect has been studied less and results are inconclusive. Importantly, individual differences are often not taken into account. We investigated the role of working memory, conscious motor control, and task-specific focus preferences on performance with an internal and external focus of attention in children. Methods: Twenty-five children practiced a golf putting task in both an internal focus condition and external focus condition. Performance was defined as the average distance toward the hole in 3 blocks of 10 trials. Task-specific focus preference was determined by asking how much effort it took to apply the instruction in each condition. In addition, working memory capacity and conscious motor control were assessed. Results: Children improved performance in both the internal focus condition and external focus condition (?[subscript p][superscript 2] = 0.47), with no difference between conditions (?[subscript p][superscript 2] = 0.01). Task-specific focus preference was the only factor moderately related to the difference between performance with an internal focus and performance with an external focus (r = 0.56), indicating better performance for the preferred instruction in Block 3. Conclusion: Children can benefit from instruction with both an internal and external focus of attention to improve short-term motor performance. Individual, task-specific focus preference influenced the effect of the instructions, with children performing better with their preferred focus. The results highlight that individual differences are a key factor in the effectiveness in children's motor performance. The precise mechanisms underpinning this effect warrant further research.

Purpose: The purpose of this review article is to describe characteristics of auditory processing disorders (APD) by evaluating the literature in which children with suspected or diagnosed APD were compared with typically developing children and to determine whether APD must be regarded as a deficit specific to the auditory modality or as a multimodal deficit. Method: Six electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies investigating children with (suspected) APD in comparison with typically developing peers. Relevant studies were independently reviewed and appraised by 2 reviewers. Methodological quality was quantified using the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's levels of evidence. Results: Fifty-three relevant studies were identified. Five studies were excluded because of weak internal validity. In total, 48 studies were included, of which only 1 was classified as having strong methodological quality. Significant dissimilarities were found between children referred with listening difficulties and controls. These differences relate to auditory and visual functioning, cognition, language, reading, and physiological and neuroimaging measures. Conclusions: Methodological quality of most of the incorporated studies was rated moderate due to the heterogeneous groups of participants, inadequate descriptions of participants, and the omission of valid and reliable measurements. The listening difficulties of children with APD may be a consequence of cognitive, language, and attention issues rather than bottom-up auditory processing.