title: Measuring motor skills in Finnish children with intellectual disabilities.
abstract: This investigation examined differences in motor skill development between Finnish children (12 boys, 8 girls) with mild intellectual disability and typically developing Finnish children between the ages of 7 and 11 years. Ulrich's Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) assessed the performances of 20 children with intellectual disability and an age- and sex-matched sample of 20 children without disabilities. Videotaped performances were assessed by the authors who were very familiar with the TGMD-2. The group with intellectual disability performed at a statistically significantly lower level on the Gross Motor Quotient, Locomotor, and Object Control subtests of TGMD-2, compared to the group without intellectual disability. The delay was equivalent to 3 to 4 years behind the Finnish normative group in gross motor development. In five out of 12 subtests, the group with intellectual disability achieved 0% mastery. Given low gross motor skills, children with intellectual disability require additional fundamental motor skill training in their active school or free time.
authors.affiliation: University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Pauli
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rintala
authors.forename: E Michael
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Loovis
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index