The effectiveness of perceptual-motor exercises on visual-spatial processing and reading performance in second grade primary school girl students with learning disorder

Abstract

Special learning disorder is one of the most common childhood disorders. Children and teenagers with special learning disorders are found in every class and these students have problems, such as severe academic drop, dropping out of school, behavioral-emotional problems, lack of motivation and lack of interest in learning and reduced confidence unless their disorder is detected and treated in time. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of perceptual-motor exercises on visual-spatial processing and reading performance in second-grade primary school girl students with special learning disorders in three districts of Tabriz City. The method of this research was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest research design with a control group. The statistical population included all second-grade primary school girl students with special learning disorder referred to the center for special learning disorder in District 3 of Tabriz in 2021-1402 which the size of the population was 224 people. The statistical sample of the current research was 30 students selected using the purposeful sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. Perceptual-motor interventions were implemented during 15 sessions for the experimental group in three 45-minute sessions per week. To respond to the assumptions of the research, data were collected and standard tests were used. The tools used included the educational package of the country's exceptional education and training called timely intervention in the education and rehabilitation of new students with special learning difficulties, Wechsler test 4 (small scale of block design, coding, cancellation and symbol search), reading diagnostic test by Shirazi and Nilipour (20111). The research data was analyzed by univariate analysis of covariance. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. The results of the posttest intergroup effects test by removing the pretest effect show that a there is a significant difference between the averages of the two experimental and control groups in the components of symbol search (P<0.05, F=4.82) and decoding (P<0.05, F=4.68) and cancellation (P>0.05, F=15.98) and block design (P>0.05, F=13.62). The comparison of effect sizes showed that the intervention of perceptual-motor exercises had the greatest effect on cancellation with an effect size of 0.354 and block design with an effect size of 0.295. Therefore, statistically, a significant difference was observed between the two experimental and control groups based on perceptual-motor exercises, and perceptual-motor exercises had an effect on all four components of visual-spatial processing; also, the results of the posttest inter-group effects test by removing the pretest effect show that there is a significant difference between the averages of the two experimental and control groups in the components of reading accuracy (P<0.05, F=16.02) and reading speed (0.5 P>0, F=23/81), reading error (P>0.05, F=6.60) and reading comprehension (P>0.05, F=4.59). The comparison of effect sizes showed that the intervention of perceptual-motor exercises had the greatest effect on reading speed with an effect size of 0.485 and reading accuracy with an effect size of 0.364. Therefore, statistically, there is a significant difference between the two experimental and control groups based on perceptual-motor exercises; according to the findings of this research and other related researches, it can be concluded that motor skills develop cognitive abilities. Without having proper perceptual-motor skills, students will not be able to read, write and perform mathematical operations at the level that normal schools require. As a result, one of the appropriate and necessary solutions for correcting and repairing the special learning problems of such students is the design of a selected movement program based on education standards and finally the implementation of this plan in all levels of the primary education period.