Treatment Strategies for Emotional-Motivational Blocks to Motor Functioning in Children

Abstract

This article presents causes of poor motor performance in children other than intrinsic physical disabilities and describes treatment of those problems involving behavioral barriers. Chief among these are motivational-emotional handicaps in the form of lack of confidence, dependence ("learned helplessness"), impulsivity, restlessness, and lethargy. An observational check list for the identification of these nonphysical sources of failure has recently been published as part of the revision of the Stott-Moyes-Henderson Test of Motor Impairment (TOMI-R). The affected children erect defenses against motor challenges by either a frightened refusal to attempt a task (inhibition) or unconscious avoidance strategies such as distractibility, or defeatism. We give guidelines for helping children overcome each of these drawbacks and illustrate in detail the procedures for four of the tasks used in the TOMI-R.