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How UFS research assists teachers in identifying children who need developmental help

10 January 2022 | Story Elsabé Brits

Dr Monique De Milander — Dr Monique de Milander, Lecturer in Exercise and Sport Sciences at the UFS, is leading research on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and visual and motor control difficulties.

Research done by the University of the Free State (UFS) has shown that Grade 1 learners not only experience visual problems, but also developmental coordination disorder. Teachers and parents can help to identify this.

In the first study published in the South African Journal of Child Health (https://doi.org/10.7196/SAJCH.2021.v15i1.1705), Dr Monique de Milander, Lecturer in Exercise and Sport Sciences at the UFS, led research on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and visual and motor control difficulties.

“Visual problems are often overlooked and are seen as a hidden disability. Thus, children are labelled as ADD/ADHD, but in fact, they have learning-related visual problems. Our eyes connect the world with the brain, and we receive 80-90% of information from our eyes. Consequently, visual problems lead to poor vision, and these visual problems will interfere with children’s ability to learn in the classroom,” she explains.

During the study, ADHD symptoms were found to be significantly associated with half of the visual functioning difficulties. These skills include fixation – the ability to fixate on a stationary object with both eyes – in addition to fixating with the eyes independently.

Ocular alignment of the right eye was indicated as a problem – the ability of the two eyes to work together in order to view an object clearly. Therefore, the eyes must move in a coordinated manner. Visual tracking was the skill that the children struggled with the most in both screening tests; thus, to follow a moving object. This was found for both eyes – the right eye on an X shape, and the left eye on a circle.

She added that science suggests that although children at the age of five or six can perform a variety of manipulative skills such as catching, throwing, kicking, and hitting, the manipulative skills that require visual tracking or the ability to intercept moving objects, develop somewhat later (eight years) due to the sophisticated visual-motor requirements.

Furthermore, although maturation plays a role in achieving these skills, children need opportunities to practise the skills in a variety of settings. Parents and teachers should encourage children to take part in physical activities and sports, in addition to proper instruction on how to perform the manipulative skills.

How will these visual difficulties be identified?

It is important to note that children can fixate, visually pursue objects, and reach accurate decisions about the size and shape of an object; however, some refining still has to take place. In other words, the perceptual abilities of the young child are not yet complete. Some examples of visual perception problems in a young child, as indicated by perceptual motor skills involving the eyes, are as follows:

1. Using control to intercept a ball
2. Interchanging letters and numbers
3. Poor perception of moving objects
4. Poor figure-ground perceptual abilities
5. Distance perception
6. Anticipating timing

What is the next step after identifying visual difficulties?

The first aspect to take into consideration is the age of the child, since we now know that their perceptual abilities need to be refined. If the problem continues, screening tests can be done. If the child is at risk, it is recommended that the parent see an optometrist who specialises in visual problems.

How does one assist a child with ADHD in the classroom?

Five tips for teaching students with ADHD:
1. Change activities frequently to accommodate short attention span
2. Use a positive behaviour modification programme to keep student focused on task
3. Incorporate 3-5 min of conscious relaxation at the end of the physical education period
4. Give brief instructions
5. Use activities that promote cooperation among all students

In another study led by Dr De Milander and published in the South African Journal of Childhood Education (https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/930), the early identification of learners with developmental coordination disorder was researched.

In children experiencing poor motor skills (fine and gross motor coordination difficulties), without evidence of a neurological disorder and which cannot be linked to a general medical difficulty such as cerebral palsy or a pervasive development disorder, the low motor skills are significant – to such an extent that it interferes with their social competence, academic performance, and physical development, leading to problems with completing daily activities, Dr De Milander explains.

The characteristics of developmental coordination disorder are:

• Experiencing problems getting dressed and tying shoelaces
• Finding it difficult to run, skip, or jump
• Experiencing problems with visual perception
• Poor pencil grip
• Slow and hesitant movement
• Poor spatial concepts about in front, behind, next to, below, and above
• Unable to catch or kick a ball
• Finding it difficult to work in group context

She gives the following advice: Children should be motivated and challenged to participate in simple, yet enjoyable and relaxing physical activities. The focus should be on the child's strengths and not his/her weaknesses. Allow the child to play regularly in sandboxes and with clay. Improve the child’s ball skills by catching and throwing. Motor skills must be learnt through simple mastery steps. Improve the child's movement skills and make participation in movement activities enjoyable and challenging. Concentrate on reaction skills and play in which the child can participate. In extreme cases, specialised treatment by an occupational therapist and a kinderkineticist is important.

It is important to know that children do not outgrow these disorders as previously believed; therefore, many children still experience these difficulties as adolescents. Thus, if your child is experiencing any problems, take cognisance of the problem and address it as soon as possible. Professionals such as kinderkineticists are available in private practice and at various schools to assist your child in improving a variety of deviations. The kinderkineticist can evaluate your child through a standardised test to determine the problem, and then suggest an intervention to address the specific problem, as well as to prevent secondary problems such as low self-esteem, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, etc., which are associated with these disorders.

For help, visit the website of the South African Professional Institute for Kinderkinetics where you will be able to find a kinderkineticist in your area.

Kinderkinetics is a profession aimed at promoting and optimising the neuromotor development of young children (0-13 years) through science-based physical activity. All programmes within this profession have a preventative, stimulating, developing, and rehabilitative nature. In summary, it has the following goals:

• Promoting functional growth and proper motor development in young children.
• Focusing on certain movement activities to promote/facilitate sport-specific skills.
• Implementing appropriate rehabilitation programmes for children with growth and/or developmental disabilities in order to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.

News Archive

“To forgive is not an obligation. It’s a choice.” – Prof Minow during Reconciliation Lecture

2014-03-05

“To forgive is not an obligation. It’s a choice.” – Prof Minow during the Third Annual Reconciliation Lecture entitled Forgiveness, Law and Justice.
Photo: Johan Roux

No one could have anticipated the atmosphere in which Prof Martha Minow would visit the Bloemfontein Campus. And no one could have predicted how apt the timing of her message would be. As this formidable Dean of Harvard University’s Law School stepped behind the podium, a latent tension edged through the crowded audience.

“The issue of getting along after conflict is urgent.”

With these few words, Prof Minow exposed the essence of not only her lecture, but also the central concern of the entire university community.

As an expert on issues surrounding racial justice, Prof Minow has worked across the globe in post-conflict societies. How can we prevent atrocities from happening? she asked. Her answer was an honest, “I don’t know.” What she is certain of, on the other hand, is that the usual practice of either silence or retribution does not work. “I think that silence produces rage – understandably – and retribution produces the cycle of violence. Rather than ignoring what happens, rather than retribution, it would be good to reach for something more.” This is where reconciliation comes in.

Prof Minow put forward the idea that forgiveness should accompany reconciliation efforts. She defined forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to forego rightful grounds of resentment towards those who have committed a wrong. “To forgive then, in this definition, is not an obligation. It’s a choice. And it’s held by the one who was harmed,” she explained.

Letting go of resentment cannot be forced – not even by the law. What the law can do, though, is either to encourage or discourage forgiveness. Prof Minow showed how the law can construct adversarial processes that render forgiveness less likely, when indeed its intention was the opposite. “Or, law can give people chances to meet together in spaces where they may apologise and they may forgive,” she continued. This point introduced some surprising revelations about our Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

Indeed, studies do report ambivalence, disappointment and mixed views about the TRC. Whatever our views are on its success, Prof Minow reported that people across the world wonder how South African did it. “It may not work entirely inside the country; outside the country it’s had a huge effect. It’s a touchstone for transitional justice.”

The TRC “seems to have coincided with, and maybe contributed to, the relatively peaceful political transition to democracy that is, frankly, an absolute miracle.” What came as a surprise to many is this: the fact that the TRC has affected transitional justice efforts in forty jurisdictions, including Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Liberia. It has even inspired the creation of a TRC in Greensborough, North Carolina, in the United States.

There are no blueprints for solving conflict, though. “But the possibility of something other than criminal trials, something other than war, something other than silence – that’s why the TRC, I think, has been such an exemplar to the world,” she commended.

Court decision cannot rebuild a society, though. Only individuals can forgive. Only individuals can start with purposeful, daily decisions to forgive and forge a common future. Forgiveness is rather like kindness, she suggested. It’s a resource without limits. It’s not scarce like water or money. It’s within our reach. But if it’s forced, it’s not forgiveness.

“It is good,” Prof Minow warned, “to be cautious about the use of law to deliberately shape or manipulate the feelings of any individual. But it is no less important to admit that law does affect human beings, not just in its results, but in its process.” And then we must take responsibility for how we use that law.

“A government can judge, but only people can forgive.” As Prof Minow’s words lingered, the air suddenly seemed a bit more buoyant.

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