Movement Skill Assessment

Intended for occupational therapists, physical therapists, physical education teachers, and adapted physical education teachers. Provides a detailed history of movement skill assessment, its purposes and theoretical underpinnings. Then discusses six levels of movement skill assessment and provides eight in-depth critiques of popular assessment instruments, such as the Test of Gross Motor Development, the Movement Assessment Battery for Children Checklist, and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

By using systematic logic and revisiting the natural developmental principals all infants employ as they learn to walk, run, and climb, this book forces a new look at motor learning, corrective exercise and modern conditioning practices. -- Publisher description.

This innovative manual sets out advice on fundamental movement skill acquisition (FMS) and its benefits for improving physical, verbal and social skills for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Improving FMS can help prevent long term health issues, and increase opportunities for social engagement and independence. The book explores the basic skills of movement (running, catching, throwing, and balance) and how to observe, teach and assess FMS in children and adults with ASD. There are sections on how to develop and implement a programme for individuals to guide their personal development, and information on planning and tools for assessment are included. A much needed guide on how to combat impairment of FMS, the book also highlights the numerous benefits of such an approach in relation to behaviour, lifestyle, health and education.

The Apache Motor Skills Assessment Test (AMSAT) is a norm-referenced and criterion-referenced test to evaluate students ages 10 to 14 years in advanced motor skill performance. The skills include: grapevine, running, standing long jump, throwing, catching, kicking, stationary dribble, and dynamic dribbling. The AMSAT is a great tool to use as an educational supplement for physical education, physical therapy and occupational therapy. The corresponding curriculum will aid in taking the test results to immediate implementation of instructional intervention. This test is easy to administer and provides teachers with a true measure of a student's present level of competence in advanced motor skills. An electronic fill-in form is provided for ease of computations and printing of the reports. Now physical education and adapted physical education teachers can track student progress beyong 10 years of age. The AMSAT is the only assessment toll available that measures student performance in this area.

Nonlinear pedagogy is a powerful paradigm for understanding human movement and for designing effective teaching, coaching and training programs in sport, exercise and physical education. It addresses the inherent complexity in the learning of movement skills, viewing the learner, the learning environment and the teacher or coach as a complex interacting system, with the constraints of individual practice tasks providing the platform for functional movement behaviours to emerge. This is the first book to explain this profoundly important new approach to skill acquisition, introducing key theoretical ideas and best practice for students, teachers and coaches. The first section of the book offers a general theoretical framework to explain processes of skill acquisition and the learning of movement skills. The book then defines nonlinear pedagogy, and outlines its key principles of practice. It offers a thorough and critical appraisal of the optimal use of instructional constraints and practice design, and discusses methods for creating challenging and supportive individualised learning environments at developmental, sub-elite and elite levels of performance. Every chapter contains cases and examples from sport and exercise contexts, providing guidance on practice activities and lessons. Nonlinear Pedagogy in Skill Acquisition is an essential companion for any degree level course in skill acquisition, motor learning, sport science, sport pedagogy, sports coaching practice, or pedagogy or curriculum design in physical education.

This book offers an ecological conceptualisation of physical literacy. Re-embracing our ancestry as hunter gatherers we gain a new appreciation and understanding of the importance of play, not only in terms of how children learn, but also in showing us as educators how we can lay the foundations for lifelong physical activity. The concept of physical literacy has been recognised and understood throughout history by different communities across the globe. Today, as governments grapple with the multiple challenges of urban life in the 21st century, we can learn from our forebears how to put play at the centre of children’s learning in order to build a more enduring physically active society. This book examines contemporary pedagogical approaches, such as constraints-led teaching, nonlinear pedagogy and the athletic skills model, which are underpinned by the theoretical framework of Ecological Dynamics. It is suggested that through careful design, these models, aimed at children, as well as young athletes, can (i) encourage play and facilitate physical activity and motor learning in children of different ages, providing them with the foundational skills needed for leading active lives; and (ii), develop young athletes in elite sports programmes in an ethical, enriching and supportive manner. Through this text, scientists, academics and practitioners in the sub-disciplines of motor learning and motor development, physical education, sports pedagogy and physical activity and exercise domains will better understand how to design programmes that encourage play and thereby develop the movement skills, self-regulating capacities, motivation and proficiency of people, so that they can move skilfully, effectively and efficiently while negotiating changes throughout the human lifespan.