Technology

Motor Sense uses this

technology to guide and assess
children executing age-related
developmental motor tasks. It
incorporates advanced
heuristics informed by pattern
recognition principles based on
the developmental sequences
of motor skills. MotorSense
was evaluated with 16 4–6
year-old children from a rural
primary school. Sensors capable of detecting human movements through intuitive
interaction with digital applications based on body motion are available. This
technology can support, and increase access to, motor development monitoring from
an early stage. MotorSense is a motion-based application developed by the authors
which recognises and interprets the execution of locomotor tasks in real time. It is
informed by the developmental sequences of motor skills1 and motor development
assessment scales. Currently, it provides activities to performed five chronological
age and developmental stage graded motor tasks: jump forward, jump high, jump
sideways, hop and jog on the spot.

Traditional

The Assessment of Motor and

Process Skills (AMPS) is an
observational assessment that
allows for the simultaneous
evaluation of motor and process
skills and their effect on the
ability of an individual to
perform complex or instrumental
and personal activities of daily living (ADL). The AMPS is comprised of 16 motor
and 20 process skill items.

The AMPS is based on a ‘top down’ assessment approach. Using a ‘top down’
approach means that the AMPS assessment begins “with the ability of the individual
to perform the daily life tasks that he or she wants and needs to perform to be able to
fulfill his or her roles competently and with satisfaction” (Fisher, 2003). The ‘top
down’ approach involves finding out more about a client’s occupational concerns and
then observing the client performing that occupation. Through the observation
process, the therapist is able to use clinical reasoning to identify the underlying
functional deficit in order to intervene to compensate for the deficit, if this is possible.

The quality of the person’s occupational performance is assessed by rating the

effort, efficiency, safety, and independence demonstrated in each of the motor and
process skills that comprise the task performance.

ANALYSIS

MotorSense is a motion detection and tracking technology that can be

implemented across a range of environments to assist in detecting delays in gross-
motor skills development. The system utilities the motion tracking functionality of
Microsoft's Kinetic. It features games that require children to perform graded gross-
motor tasks matched with their chronological and developmental ages. It helps
address the shortage of affordable technologies to support the assessment of motor
development using graded age-related developmental motor tasks.

It aims to widen access to motor assessment by offloading professional

observation on technology and assessing children in their natural environment. It
provides timely and continuous assessment to support the early detection of motor
development delays and afford children their maximum learning potential.

The smallest observable action of an occupation performed is called

performance skills. ADL motor skills are observed when an object is moved or
when one moves oneself. ADL process skills rate the competency when one selects
 and interacts with tools and materials and changes performance when problems are
encountered. Results are norm and criterion-referenced, offering a variety of ways
to compare results and interpretations. The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills
also requires software for scoring and can track progress over time, even slight
improvements that other assessments may not capture. Critics of this assessment
argue that a limited number of clinicians hold certification to administer this test,
which means this test is not as widely used as other OT assessments.

It allows for the simultaneous evaluation of motor and process skills and their
effect on the ability of an individual to perform complex or instrumental and
personal activities of daily living (ADL).

Therefore, both traditional and technology tools have their own strengths and
weaknesses in assessing motor skills. The choice of tool depends on factors such as
the specific goals of assessment, available resources, and preferences of practitioners
and individuals being assessed. Integrating a combination of both traditional and
technology-based approaches may offer a comprehensive and nuanced evaluation of
motor skills.
REFERENCES

Using motion capture technology to assess locomotor development in

children - PMC (nih.gov)

Most Common - Occupational Therapy - Tests, Assessments, Tools and

Measures - Research Guides at Eastern Michigan University (emich.edu)