PURPOSE: The relationship between visual-motor integration and academic achievement is not clearly understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the type and frequency of errors made by children with poor visual-motor integration during a written language and math task. METHODS: Eighteen children with normal visual-motor integration (> or =36%) and 19 children with low visual-motor integration (< or =16%) participated in the study. The two groups had similar ages, gender profiles, and cognitive and reading levels. Each group copied and solved math problems and copied a written passage. The errors for the math and writing task were combined into a total error score, and the time taken to complete each task was combined into a total time score. RESULTS: The low visual-motor integration group made more errors than the normal visual-motor integration group. However, the time taken to copy both tasks was not different between the two groups. A secondary analysis of the errors revealed that alignment of numbers (p = 0.02), organization of math problems (p = 0.05), and spacing errors of letters and words (p = 0.01) were more common in the low visual-motor integration group. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that reduced visual-motor integration may contribute to poor spatial organization of written work.
PURPOSE: The relationship between visual-motor integration and academic achievement is not clearly understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the type and frequency of errors made by children with poor visual-motor integration during a written language and math task. METHODS: Eighteen children with normal visual-motor integration (> or =36%) and 19 children with low visual-motor integration (< or =16%) participated in the study. The two groups had similar ages, gender profiles, and cognitive and reading levels. Each group copied and solved math problems and copied a written passage. The errors for the math and writing task were combined into a total error score, and the time taken to complete each task was combined into a total time score. RESULTS: The low visual-motor integration group made more errors than the normal visual-motor integration group. However, the time taken to copy both tasks was not different between the two groups. A secondary analysis of the errors revealed that alignment of numbers (p = 0.02), organization of math problems (p = 0.05), and spacing errors of letters and words (p = 0.01) were more common in the low visual-motor integration group. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that reduced visual-motor integration may contribute to poor spatial organization of written work.
Authors: Delaney Gracy; Anupa Fabian; Corey Hannah Basch; Maria Scigliano; Sarah A MacLean; Rachel K MacKenzie; Irwin E Redlener Journal: PLoS One Date: 2018-01-17 Impact factor: 3.240