Miyoko Watanabe

Gross motor skill development of kindergarten children in Japan

[Purpose] The purposes of this study were to assess and explore the gender-based differences in gross motor skill development of 5-year-old Japanese children. [Subjects and Methods] This cross-sectional study recruited 60 healthy 5-year-old (third-year kindergarten, i.e., nencho) children (34 boys, 26 girls) from one local private kindergarten school in Otawara city, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Gross motor skills, including six locomotor and six object control skills, were assessed using the test of gross motor development, second edition (TGMD-2). All subjects performed two trials of each gross motor skill, and the performances were video-recorded and scored. Assessment procedures were performed according to the standardized guidelines of the TGMD-2. [Results] The majority of subjects had an average level of overall gross motor skills. Girls had significantly better locomotor skills. Boys had significantly better object control skills. [Conclusion] The gross motor skill development of 5-year-old Japanese children involves gender-based differences in locomotor and object control skills. This study provided valuable information that can be used to establish normative references for the gross motor skills of 5-year-old Japanese children.

Interlimb weight adjustments between the lower and upper limbs relate to inaccurate performance during the lateral body weight-shifting task.

The lateral body weight-shifting task is commonly used in therapeutic programs for patients with orthopedic complaints or hemiparesis. Although the patients usually support themselves using the upper limbs during the task, it is unclear whether the use of upper limbs affects performance accuracy of lateral body weight shifting. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of support by the upper limbs on performance accuracy, particularly on the central tendency effects (i.e. overshooting for light targets and undershooting for heavy targets). Twenty-three able-bodied, neurologically intact individuals, who were right-handed and right-footed participants performed the lateral body weight-shifting task to shift one-third or two-thirds of their body weight toward the left and right lower limbs using support by the upper limbs. The result of correlation coefficients between interlimb weight adjustment and errors showed that the use of the upper limbs and interlimb weight adjustment related to the enhanced central tendency effects. The use of upper limbs generally contributes toward stabilizing posture, however, this is not the case with performance of the lateral body weight shifting. Moreover, the effects of using the upper limb on performance accuracy differed among leftward and rightward weight shifting. This result might be owing to the dominant side of the hand/foot and hemisphere lateralization.