Effectiveness of an Eight-Week Fundamental Skills Intervention Programme on the Motor Skills of Children with Visual Impairment, Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Physical activity has been included in early intervention programmes involving fundamental motor skills among children with differing  disabilities. Though research has documented improved motor skills performance generally, few have focused on intervention  programmes as a means towards improving motor skill performance in children with visual impairment (VI). This study aimed to  determine the effectiveness of an eight-week fundamental motor skills intervention programme on motor skills of children with visual impairment in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study targeted children with VI aged between six to eleven years. Out of the two public  integrated primary school with special unit for VI, the school with the highest number of children with VI was purposively selected. Twelve  out of the 20 targeted children with VI in grade one and two met the inclusion criteria. Ethical clearance and consent were  acquired before the study. One group pre and post-test quasi experimental design was used. The study utilised Test of Gross Motor development which include two subsets: locomotor and object manipulation skills. The motor skills were assessed before and after the  intervention programme. The results showed significant improvement of both the locomotor and object control skills. The study  therefore recommends implementation of motor skill intervention programmes for children with VI at an early age.