How Sensory Impairments Affect Gross and Fine Motor Skills in Children Essay

How Sensory Impairments Affect Gross and Fine Motor Skills in Children with Multi-sensory Impairments - Essay Example ess and improve his learning will be discussed at length along with a comprehensive reasoning behind the choices made and their effectiveness when implemented. My role in relation to this project was chiefly concerned with observing and working with a pupil. It was important to collaborate with the physiotherapist, the occupational therapist, and the support staff as they provided additional information about the pupil. It was also very fortunate that my colleagues fully supported this project and wanted to find a way to improve the learning opportunities of the pupil. The aim of this assessment was to facilitate teaching strategies and activities that would improve his movement experience within the learning environment. I wanted my pupil to develop a greater sense of autonomy in terms of what he could achieve with the support of adults, and what he could achieve independently. The implication of sensory impairments on child’s motor development: â€Å"Movement is a feature o f all man’s activities. Through the movement of our bodies we can learn to relate the inner-self to the outer world† - Laban, 1948:13 A typical infant follows a known developmental progression that starts at birth. As the infant grows and his central nervous system matures, the gross motor skills develop in a head to foot progression (Gesell, 1940). The gross motor skills occur in a typical sequence. However, these skills can only develop as the infant also develops balance, coordination and the postural control needed to move his body in space (Shumway-Cook & Woollacott, 1985). An infant's desire to reach out and explore his surroundings is the primary motivator that eventually leads to gross motor development. When an infant's sensory systems (e.g. visual, auditory, tactile, motor, etc.) are... This report approves that children initiate independent movement and exploration because of what they see and hear. They observe the movement of others and learn to imitate them. In the case of the blind / visually impairment child, the primary mode of obtaining information is unreliable, so the child would likely utilize other means of gaining information that can be formulated into other sensory concepts. Hearing is the only distance sense available to the blind / visually impaired infant. Unfortunately, even with input from the hearing and other senses, there is no guarantee that the information would have meaning to the child. Sensory input that is absent has a cumulative effect on the interpretation of the blind / visually impaired child. The child also has no control over the presence or absence of sound in the environment. This essay makes a conclusion that this assignment was initiated by a description of his growing interest in this subject. It then proceeded to discuss the importance of movement on individual development and the effects of sensory impairment on the movement skills development of Pupil Z. His aim was to observe Pupil Z and based on his findings, the author have come up with strategies which could be used to support the pupil in his learning. Through collaborations and a number of observations he planned, carried out, and evaluated with Pupil Z, key issues arose- how to organise Pupil Z within the physical environment in line with school policies and procedures, how to ensure the health and physical well-being of pupil and the staff supporting him.