A comparison of motor skills in Turkish children with different visual acuity

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess motor functions with objective data in children with different visual acuity. Material and methods: The study included 30 children with low vision (9 girls and 21 boys) and 30 children who were totally or near blind (13 girls and 17 boys) 30 children with normal sight (15 girls and 15 boys) whose ages were between 7-14 years. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Proficiency Test (BOMPT) was used for assessment of motor proficiency. Results: Intergroup comparisons showed that children with low vision and totally or near blind scores of run, balance, coordination of upper extremities, response speed, abilities of upper extremity and total motor point results had differences in favor of the children with low vision (p<0.05). According to the test scores, children with normal sight attained the highest score in all tests. Conclusion: It was thought that experiences gained due to visual stimulus were reflected to results. Our study demonstrated an increasing gap in motor skills development between different visual acuity children widens, during elementary school years the children with normal sight refine their motor skills but the children with visual deprivation are left behind.