[Motor-independent visual perception skill indexes are related with reading skills in children with cerebral palsy]

Objective: Cerebral palsy is one of the most common causes of physical disability in childhood that lead to various difficulties for children. These children may have abnormalities in visual perception. Visual perception plays an important role in learning of basic childhood's skills. This research was designed to study the relation between each of subtests of visual perception with accuracy and speed components of reading skills in school-aged cerebral palsy children

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 24 spastic cerebral palsy students in second grade [10 girls and 14 boy] were selected be available as from Tehran's rehabilitation clinics. Visual perception and Reading skills were evaluated with the Test of Visual Perceptual Skill-revised [TVPS-R] and Diagnostic Reading Test

Results: The results showed that between standard score of visual perception with accuracy and speed components of reading skills of cerebral palsy student were significantly correlated. Visual Discrimination with accuracy [P<0.001] and with speed [P<0.001], Visual Memory with accuracy [P=0.002] and with speed [P=0.004], Visual-Spatial with accuracy [P<0.001] and with speed [P<0.001], Form Constancy with accuracy [P=0.003] and with speed [p<0.001], Visual Sequential Memory with accuracy [P=0.023] and with speed [P<0.028], Figure Ground Discrimination with accuracy [P=0.010] and with speed [P<0.011], Visual Closure with accuracy [p=0.009] and with speed [P<0.009]

Conclusion: In general we can say that the relationship between visual perception skills with reading skills in first and second grade students with cerebral palsy is evident

Psychometric properties of physical well-being, health and motor development inventory for assessing school readiness

The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the 'physical wellbeing, health and motor development inventory' used to assess school readiness in ordinary and mentally retarded pre-school children. A descriptive study examining validity was conducted using random sampling. Two hundred students [160 ordinary and 40 mentally retarded children] were randomly selected from the city of Tehran. In investigating the validity of the inventory, evidence related to content validity and construct validity were used. The evidence related to content validity showed that the questions related to the domain elements of gross motor skills, fine motor skills, nutrition and safety exercises all had high correlation coefficients with the overall elements. Some of the questions related to the domain elements of sensorimotor skills, physical fitness and activities of daily living did not have acceptable correlation coefficients. However, after removing the outliers the overall validity coefficient and subsequently that of the overall test increased. The t computed for construct-related evidence was significant too. Eventually, the validity coefficients were estimated at 0.859, 0.832, 0.671, 0.585, 0.725, 0.719 and 0.719 for gross motor skills, fine motor skills, sensorimotor skills, physical fitness, activities of daily living, nutrition and safety exercises, respectively. The results indicate that the overall inventory and its elements have good validity for assessing preschool children's readiness in the domains of physical well-being, health and motor development

efficacy of occupational therapy intervention in visual-spatial and visual analysis skills development among children with learning disorders

The visual-motor skill is one of the major factors in the learning process. Visual-spatial and visual analysis skills are components of the visual motor skill. Any deficiency in Visual - Motor skills and their components often causes problem in writing and learning processes in children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of occupational therapy [O.T.] intervention on visual-spatial and visual analysis skills in children with L.D. Fitly-eight children with learning disorder [L.D.] from "Learning Disorders Centers" in Tehran were assessed in this study. Out of them, 23 children were selected. They were in second, third and forth standard classes. They had normal I.Q and no visual or auditory problem. All of the children took the "Test of Visual Motor Skills- Revised "[TVMS-R]. They were divided into two groups: 11 in experimental group and 12 in control group. 0.1 interventions were performed for 16 sessions in the experimental group and finally all of the children were assessed with TVMS-R again. TVMS-R includes 8 categories and is designed based on copying some geometric figures. This test was standardized in Exceptional Children Institute, Tehran in 2002. There was no significant difference of means between the pretest and the post test in the control group [P=0.10], but there was a significant difference of means in the experimental group based on paired t-test [P=0.000] Results showed that the 0.1. intervention had a statistically meaningful effect on visual-spatial and visual analysis skills in children with L.D