Coordenação motora e idade gestacional em crianças dos 3 aos 6 anos de idade. Estudo com MABC-2 banda 1

Abstract

A research on changes in motor coordination, in the age group from three to six years, is very common. However, in Portugal it is still scarce. This thesis aimed to analyze the prevalence of changes in motor coordination, in children aged three to six, attending pre-school education. 304 children, 163 females and 141 males (M = 4.9, SD = 0.85) were assessed using the MABC-2 Band 1 Test. Children attended public preschool education. This thesis includes six original studies. A systematic review (i) was performed to understand the disturbance in the development of motor coordination in children of gestational age before 38 weeks; a validation study of the MABC-2 band 1 was conducted for the Portuguese population, (ii) specifically, to examine the construct validity of the MABC-2 band 1; two studies (iii, iv) were conducted to identify the prevalence and interaction between gender and age in term and preterm infants; a fifth study (v) to examine the motor coordination, gender differences and movement difficulties in the domains of motor coordination parameters; one last study (vi) was conducted to ascertain whether during a ten-month period, children at risk or probable developmental coordination desorder (DCD), modified this state when subjected to a preschool program in the field of physical activity. In general, it should be noted that the MABC-2 banda1 is an appropriate measure to assess the early detection of DCD in younger children. In addition, when comparing preterm and term children, it was verified that the male preterm infants had lower score values in motor coordination. We have identified that children with problems in the level of motor coordination, will have to undergo an appropriate curricular program, in order to minimize the subsequent changes in the different contexts. In conclusion, in children with typical motor development, but with an associated risk factor, early strategies should be adopted that favour an efficient development of motor skills. KEY WORDS: MOTOR COORDINATION; MABC-2 BANDA1; MOTOR DEVELOPMENT; PRESCHOOL; GESTATIONAL AGE;