Child Physical Performance: The Concept of Motor Development - Essay Example

Kamran Harris Psychology 27 December 2007 Child Physical Performance- The Concept of Motor Development Introduction: motor development is a part of movement science that deals with the development, maturation and the functioning of the systems of movement in the organism, together with the factors that cause it and account for its diversity, ranging from one individual organism to the other. It is believed that as a child grows, his neuromotor functionality develops in accordance with his needs and requirements, and to adapt to changes in his surroundings and his developing brain. It has been argued, nonetheless, that instead of just one system working to produce motor development, there are a multiple factors that come into play (Kamm and Jensen 1990). Whatever the case, it is apparent that some specific motor habits and activities are expected of children between a certain age group, that is surely linked with their expected neuromotor development. Expected Activities: the age group under consideration for studying the link between neuromotor development and movement mechanics in humans has been from children of ages 5 to 12. The basic neurological functions have by now developed enough in children between these age limits to enable them to perform certain activities that are universal in this context and form the basis of the study of movement science. Any abnormalities can then be examined easily as we already have the established and the expected activity range for these children. The method of data collection may differ among the scientists, but it is unanimously agreed that there are a total of eleven basic activities that should be performed by children of this age group. These activities are known as fundamental motor skills (NSW 1997), and they form the basis of all the other and more advanced activities that an individual performs later in his life (NSW 1997). Six of these activities would be discussed in this paper. The first among those activities is running. Through studies it has been established that among both boys and girls, this skill is expected to be mastered by the age of 10, however, if any child has not learned to perform it properly till the age of 6, it is unlikely that he or she would learn to do so ever in the future (NSW 1997). Running is one of the most common fundamental skills performed by children in this age group. The skill of kicking has shown to increase and improve drastically with age, from the limit of 5 to the limit of 12, with much more boys performing the skill than girls, and the general trend of increased proportions in the learning of this skill, too, had a steeper gradient among boys than among girls (NSW 1997). This trend in itself reflects upon the differences in the physical activities expected of boys from girls based clearly upon the differences between their physical make up and neuro-muscular development. Behavioral traits and differences might come into play here, too. The skill of the catch is expected almost at an equal level and statistical proportions from both the boys and the girls in the towards the lower limit of the age group under study, however, with the advancement of age towards the upper limit, there is a marked increase in the number of boys who can perform it as compared to the number of girls who can perform it at the same age limit, and even the ratio of increasing skill acquisition of the catch among the boys with age is much higher than the same ratio for girls (NSW 1997). On a statistical level, not many children in the designated age group can be expected to show much mastery of the skill of forehand striking, be it the boys or the girls, however, more boys than girls are expected to perform this activity with better skills, though the increase in the number of children performing this act, going from one limit to the other, is much smaller for both the sexes as compared to the improvement gradient of other activities (NSW 1997). This is the least common basic activity to be performed by children of this age group from among the set of activities under discussion. The next skill to be discussed, the overhand throw, follows a similar trend in the statistical data to the skill of kicking. Here again, the boys at each end of the age limit show a better and more improved level of performance than the girls, with the number of boys performing the act more than the number of girls. The increasing ratios in the number also were higher for boys than in girls (NSW 1997). This skill, hence, is more expected of boys than of girls, and overall, it is a less common fundamental skill from among the six being discussed. Jumping is another more common skill expected of children of this age group, both from the boys and the girls. The number of children performing this activity towards both the age limits is high, and the increase in their ratios is also similar (NSW 1997). Factors Affecting Fundamental Skills: as can be seen from the aforementioned discussion of the fundamental skills, there is a variety in the statistics of the children who can perform the basic activities, and there is a diversity in the basic activities themselves that can be performed by children in the 5 to 12 year range_ it should be noted that not all the basic activities can be performed by all the children in the given age group, meaning that some children, though physically normal, lack the ability to either perform some fundamental skills, or to perform them in a skilled manner. This phenomenon is normal in its nature and differs from the dysfunctional cases where inability to perform certain fundamental skills results in an inability to perform certain advanced skills later in life. The normal variation depends upon certain factors, some of which are discussed below: a) the most obvious and the most common factor that results in a diversity is the difference in gender among the children of the age group under discussion. From the discussion carried above of the fundamental skills, it is apparent that these skills are more commonly performed by boys than by girls, and in most cases, better performed by boys than by girls. However, as already established, this does not render girls incapable of performing the normal advanced activities later in their lives, as this is not an abnormality but a natural phenomenon resulting in this difference. Boys can only get an advantage, even if that can be said, in the field of athletics of competing against girls, that, too, depending upon the type of sports being played. b) there is a significant affect of the socioeconomic conditions on the ability of children to perform these fundamental skills (NSW 1997). This factor affects boys mostly in the skills of running and jumping, with better socioeconomic conditions resulting in better and increased performance of the pertinent skills. For girls, this is a major factor that comes into play in almost all of the skills discussed above, often resulting in a significant increase in girls who can perform the skills in an increased and better capacity with improvement in the socioeconomic conditions (NSW 1997). This factor, seemingly, has a direct influence on the physical and the neuoromotor development and growth among children, especially among girls. c) age (Pangrazi 1998) itself is an important factor in determining the number, level and the type of activities that can be performed by children, even in the age group provided. This factor, too, is most apparent among girls than among boys in the given age group, owing to the fact that puberty in girls start around the age of 9, and near the age of 12, their adolescence starts. This results in a changing physical, neurological and behavioral pattern in those girls, as compared to younger girls, or boys of the same age, which externalises as the increased ability of girls to perform more of the fundamental skills towards the upper age limit. The factor of puberty does not play a significant part among boys in this age group as puberty among boys starts from age 13, although there might be cases of early puberty. Age, however, does platy a part in other ways such as increased neuromotor, physical and behavioral development among older boys in the age group as compared to younger boys. d) physical development is another major contributor in the variety of skills that can be performed by the children, and also in the number of children that can perform them. This factor is linked with the factor of age in that, generally, with the advancement in age comes the maturation and increased development of the muscular and neural tissue, resulting in an increased ability of children to perform more of the skills. Generally, muscular, or mesomorphic (Pangrazi 1998) children are better adapted to sports and athletics, and activities where strength is involved (Pangrazi 1998). Physical development in turn is dependant upon the socioeconomic conditions which determine the diet, environment and exercise available to children, and on their genetic makeup. e) the genetic makeup of children varies independently to other external factors like the socioeconomic conditions, and the environment. However, this makeup determines other physical factors that result in a diversity of skill performance among children. Skeletal and muscular development (Pangrazi 1998) is directly dependant upon the genes of the child, with better development resulting in a better performance of activities. Obesity (Pangrazi 1998) can either be a result of the inbuilt system, or it can be acquired through unhealthy dietary and a lack of physical activities. In either case, it poses as a hurdle in performing certain basic skills, and can have an adverse impact on advanced skills development. Although obese children carry more neuromotor tissue (Pangrazi 1998), much of their mass is constituted of fatty tissue, which inhibits their skill performances. Genetic expression, on the other hand, is dependent upon the socioeconomic conditions, including diet and physical activities, and the environment. All the above mentioned factors affecting the performance of fundamental skills are interrelated. Bibliography Booth, M., Macaskill, P., McLellan, L., Phongsavan, P., Okely, T. 1997. NSW Schools Fitness and Physical Activity Survey 1997: Summary. New South Wales Department of Education and Training: 17-20, 42-48. (6 December 2007). Gabbard. Factors Affecting Growth and Development. US: Gabbard. Gallahue, D.L., Ozmun, J.C. 2002. Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents, Adults. 5th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York: D.L. Gallahue & J.C. Ozmun. Kamm, Jensen. 1990. A Dynamic Systems Approach to Motor Development. Physical Therapy, 763(13). Pangrazi, R.P. 1998. Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children. 12th edition. Needham Heights, MA: R.P. Pangrazi, Allyn and Bacon. Peterson. Middle Childhood. US: Peterson. Scholz. Dynamic Pattern Theory. New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (6 December 2007). Read More