Testing the validity of the Halverson developmental sequences for skipping.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to test the validity of developmental sequences hypothesized by Halverson (Roberton & Halverson, 1984) for the arm and leg action in skipping.


METHODS
Children's skipping movements were categorized into the Halverson sequences using (a) cross-sectional video data collected on one hundred and fifty 5- to 12-year-olds, and (b) longitudinal film data collected on 7 children followed from age 3 through high school. Both data sets were graphed separately across age to see if the sequence levels rose and fell in accordance with developmental theory.


RESULTS
The longitudinal data indicated tentative validity of the sequences although study of younger children will be needed to validate the earliest levels of arm and leg action. In contrast to the children in the longitudinal study, relatively few children in the cross-sectional study had reached the most advanced levels of the skip by 12 years of age. Supporting the findings of Loovis and Butterfield (2000), the cross-sectional skipping data showed no gender differences (p >or= .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Future studies should continue the validation process as well as further examine questions related to gender differences in skipping and to the amount of practice needed to acquire advanced movement in this task.
Bowling Green State University, USA. mroberton@sbcglobal.net
Mary Ann
MA
Roberton
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000502:physiology; D014741:Video Recording