Visual Motor

Visual Motor Integration programme at Grove Primary School.

Our children are not moving enough!

From babyhood they are carried around in chairs at a 30°angle which is the resting position of the brain! They progress to walking rings, push-chairs, car seats and even shopping trolleys now have seats attached which deprive children of freedom of movement.

Parks are not safe enough to leave children to play unattended and in most families both parents work and are unable to sit for hours watching them. Roads are too busy for free bicycle rides and in flats and newer neighbourhoods there is a shortage of established trees to climb.

How many of our children wake up, sit down for breakfast, sit in the car to school, sit at a desk for most of the day, sit in the car home again, sit and watch TV or sit and play computer games till bedtime when thy lie down and sleep! No wonder so many referrals are made to therapists!

The VMI programme was developed as a result of these needs. With the help and advice of other professionals, a constantly changing programme is being developed to cover the following areas:

Grossmotor movements and body awareness, eye movements and hand/eye co-ordination, balance, midline crossing and listening-skills.

All Foundation Phase Children attend a half-hour session once a week. Every three weeks the programme changes to include different activities that will help develop areas of weakness. Every child is observed and if necessary referrals are made or home programmes are given.

Besides developing physical aspects, the social development of the children is enhanced because of having to work co-operatively in groups or pairs, share, take turns, evaluate and respond in a responsible and self disciplined manner. It also affords class teachers the opportunity to freely observe their pupils in non-academic situations and enables them to make more holistic evaluations. Some interesting links between their performance in the classroom and during the VMI programme have been observed, e.g. children who struggle with balancing activities also appear to be more distractible in the class.

The programme will remain in flux and develop with the children in accordance with their needs. Both the teachers and the children have found it to be an exciting, rewarding and very valuable experience.

Sally Shield.