Motor co-ordination of children with mild mental handicap

Abstract

Motor co-ordination testing using Gubbay's tests was carried out on 885 mainstream schoolchildren, broadly representative of national social class distribution, and on 482 children attending Greater Manchester schools for children with moderate learning difficulties. In spite of limited reliability of the tests considerable differences were demonstrated, suggesting that mildly mentally retarded children are also retarded in motor development. This has clear implications for educational planning whether such children are to be educated in special or mainstream schools in future.