Gross Body Coordination of Children of Various Intellectual Levels

Abstract

Three groups of subjects with diverse mental abilities, though their mean chronological age being equivalent each other, namely 47 equivalent normal (EN), 22 educable mentally retarded (EMR) and 48 trainable mentally retarded (TMR) children, were tested in a series of gross body coordination, heavily including balancing ability tests. The results may be summarized as follows: 1. No significant sexual differences between the test recordings were found. 2. Significant differences were found between the test recordings of EN-EMR and EN-TMR groups. 3. Deficiencies in physique and power development in all mentally retarded (MR) children seemed to have reflected their deficiency in criss-cross, tapping and Bass tests. 4. Mental retardation in MR children seemed to affect their deficiency in shuttle-run, single leg standing tests with eyes open and with eyes closed. 5. MR children's deficiencies in stick tests longways and sideways seemed to be products of their mental retardation and lack of accumulated motor experiences. 6. Intelligence and motor ability and various motor performances were judged to have developed independently each other among those EN children whose I.Q. was higher than 90. While the subjects whose I.Q. was less than 90 were judged to have these elements developed interdependably. 7. Those MR children whose I.Q. was less than 65 were expected to be trainable in the motor performances included in this study. Based on the above results, certain characteristics of gross body coordination of the MR children were discussed.