Motor Learning Principles
Motor learning refers to the acquisition or modification of motor skills. (O’Brien & Williams 2010). The application of the Motor Learning Principles to teach keyboarding skills in children with CP might facilitate permanent process of change to produce a specific motor task.
Motor learning principles include:
Motor learning principles include:
- Transfer of learning - Refers to applying learning to a new situation
- Sequencing and adapting task- Grading and adapting motor tasks so that children are successful constitute part of the occupational therapy process. This principle includes discrete and continuous tasks
- Type and amount of practice - Essential feature of occupational therapy intervention. This principle includes: Massed practice, distributed practice, variable practice, and mental practice)
- Error-based learning- Refers to learning movements by making errors or mistakes and self-correcting
- Feedback- Intrinsic feedback - allows the child to self-correct. Extrinsic feedback refers to providing verbal cueing or physical guidance. Verbal instructions. Demonstrative feedback- refers to modeling or imitating movements. Modeling or demonstration. Knowledge of performance (KP): A category of augmented feedback that gives information about the movement characteristics that led to a performance outcome . Knowledge of results (KR): A category of augmented feedback that gives information about the outcome of performing skills or about achieving the goal of the performance.(Mgill, 2001)
Fitt's law
The Fitt's law applied to the acquisition of typing skills in children with CP could be interpreted as follow: Using a keyboard requires children to perform the typing with speed and accuracy. When both, speed and accuracy are essential to perform a motor skill, we commonly observe phenomenon known as the speed-accuracy trade off (Mgill, 2001). This regularity means that when the children try to speed up the typing, more typing mistakes will be made (accuracy reduced) and vice versa.
How the Motor Learning Principles and the Fitt's Law work in children with CP ?
Regarding to the application of the second principle (learning tasks through practice) and the Fitt's Law. Eliasson A (2005) reported that children with CP usually exhibit slow and uncoordinated motor performance. This characteristics probably leads to a reduced number of spontaneous repetition, and consequently, a less skillful performance than unnecessary in activities of daily living (ADL).
Steenberg B et al, 1998 reported that the standard QWERTY keyboard hampers typing performance extensively in children with spastic hemiparesis. They suggested the use of an external pacer (metronome) to decrease movement variability and to increase movement speed.
Van R D et al, 2000 conducted a experimental within-subjects design to identify the source of slowness in typing movements in subjects with spastic hemiparesis and to examine whether enlargement of keys would facilitate typing. Outcome measures were: Inter key response interval (IRI), dwell time (interval during which the key is pressed) and forces were measured. The found that the impaired hand tapped slower and more irregularly and exerted less force. In addition, the duration of the dwell phase was lengthened for this hand. However, the percentage dwell time as a function of IRI was not different between hands. Enlargement of the keys shortened flight time (i.e. time in which the finger moves through the air from one key to the next) of the impaired hand, but not dwell time. Researchers' conclusion: "The entire movement is slower for the impaired hand. Disturbances are not exclusively located at the inversion of the movement. With respect to keyboard design, enlarged keys and a locked repeat function of the keys may be beneficial for subjects suffering from spasticity.
As Occupational therapists we need to know what is available in terms of keyboard design to enable the learning typing skills process in children with CP. To know the choices visit http://www.specialneedscomputers.ca/index.php?l=product_detail&p=127
How the Motor Learning Principles and the Fitt's Law work in children with CP ?
Regarding to the application of the second principle (learning tasks through practice) and the Fitt's Law. Eliasson A (2005) reported that children with CP usually exhibit slow and uncoordinated motor performance. This characteristics probably leads to a reduced number of spontaneous repetition, and consequently, a less skillful performance than unnecessary in activities of daily living (ADL).
Steenberg B et al, 1998 reported that the standard QWERTY keyboard hampers typing performance extensively in children with spastic hemiparesis. They suggested the use of an external pacer (metronome) to decrease movement variability and to increase movement speed.
Van R D et al, 2000 conducted a experimental within-subjects design to identify the source of slowness in typing movements in subjects with spastic hemiparesis and to examine whether enlargement of keys would facilitate typing. Outcome measures were: Inter key response interval (IRI), dwell time (interval during which the key is pressed) and forces were measured. The found that the impaired hand tapped slower and more irregularly and exerted less force. In addition, the duration of the dwell phase was lengthened for this hand. However, the percentage dwell time as a function of IRI was not different between hands. Enlargement of the keys shortened flight time (i.e. time in which the finger moves through the air from one key to the next) of the impaired hand, but not dwell time. Researchers' conclusion: "The entire movement is slower for the impaired hand. Disturbances are not exclusively located at the inversion of the movement. With respect to keyboard design, enlarged keys and a locked repeat function of the keys may be beneficial for subjects suffering from spasticity.
As Occupational therapists we need to know what is available in terms of keyboard design to enable the learning typing skills process in children with CP. To know the choices visit http://www.specialneedscomputers.ca/index.php?l=product_detail&p=127
Cognitive and Physical Demands for Action
What does a child need in order to perform an action?
Cognition Components
Physical Components
Cognition Components
- Understand value of one's hands for a meaningful purpose
- purposeful action
- comprehend the constraints of the task motivation to learn a task with high level of skill (usually underestimated) and highly linked to attention and concentration
- self-efficacy and body image influenced by personal and environmental factors
Physical Components
- Perception- sensory impression transformed into meaningful information i.e understanding where your hand and the target are in space;
- Sensorimotor component – neural memory formation of strategies for fine-tuning and force regulation for grasping and manipulating objects;
- musculoskeletal component for movement.
References
Eliasson , A. (2005). Improving the use of hands in daily activities: aspects of the treatment of children with cerebral palsy. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr, 25(3), 37-60.
Magill, R. (2001). Motor learning and control: Concepts and applications. New York : McGraw-Hill.
Steenbergen , B., Veringa , A., de Haan, A., & Hulstijn, W. (1998). Manual dexterity and keyboard use in spastic hemiparesis: a comparison between the impaired hand and the . Clin Rehabil., 12(1), 64-72.
Van Roon, D., Steenbergen, B., & Hulstijn, W. (2000). Reciprocal tapping in spastic hemiparesis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 14(6), 592-600. Retrieved from www.scopus.com
Magill, R. (2001). Motor learning and control: Concepts and applications. New York : McGraw-Hill.
Steenbergen , B., Veringa , A., de Haan, A., & Hulstijn, W. (1998). Manual dexterity and keyboard use in spastic hemiparesis: a comparison between the impaired hand and the . Clin Rehabil., 12(1), 64-72.
Van Roon, D., Steenbergen, B., & Hulstijn, W. (2000). Reciprocal tapping in spastic hemiparesis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 14(6), 592-600. Retrieved from www.scopus.com