Every Movement Counts: Motor Skill Acquisition Infancy Through Early Childhood from the Perspective of the Perception-Action Approach

You are invited to attend Epic Pediatric Therapy's upcoming Continuing Education Workshop for 6 CEU credit hours presented by Cuyler Romeo, M.O.T., OTR, SCFES, CLC and Charlene M. Fregosi, PT, PCS.

TSHA Approved, TOTA Approved, and TPTA Approved

Course Description

How and why do children acquire motor skills? This course will answer these questions using the primary concepts of the Perception-Action (P-A) Approach supported by current research into the role of variability, complexity, and adaptability in the developmental process. The development of exploratory behavior, and the relationship between motor and perceptual development will be discussed. Cross-cultural research on milestone norms, including their timing, sequence, and prevalence, will be highlighted to challenge the traditional methods of developmental assessment. Video cases will be used to illustrate the P-A Approach concepts and facilitate the discussion of observed movement and posture in infants and children with typical and atypical development.

Through the introduction of the P-A Approach concepts in this course, participants of all clinical disciplines will gain a new insight into the development of functional skills and the importance of perceptual-motor experiences for the child’s global development. Occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech and language pathologists will each extract from the course material information that is useful in their discipline-specific interventions.

Learning Objectives

1. Compare and contrast the traditional and Perception-Action (P-A) Approach views of motor skill acquisition

2. Explain how a child acquires a new motor skill using the following P-A Approach concepts:

   a) role of environment

   b) spontaneous exploration

   c) variability

   d) complexity

   e) adaptability

3. Recognize observed inefficient movement strategies and explain them from the P-A Approach perspective

4. Identify the possible reasons for functional skill limitations in children who develop atypically

5. Describe at least 2 intervention strategies that use the P-A Approach view of motor skill acquisition

6. Obtain information helpful for designing discipline-specific intervention, including the following:

   a) Making connections between exploratory behaviors and the development of visual scanning and bimanual manipulation skills (OT, PT)

   b) New knowledge about the importance of active problem-solving for the development of transitional movements (PT, OT)

   c) Relationship between the child’s postural alignment and oral-motor abilities and speech production (SLP, OT)

Why you should attend

1. Giveaways

2. Networking

Workshop check-in will begin at 8:30am and the course will begin at 9:00am. No registrants will be allowed entry into the workshop after 9:15am.

*Participant must attend the entire course, sign in and out, and complete a course assessment upon completion of the course.

**Participants will have 1 hour to get lunch on their own.