Development of laterality in the aiming movement in children from 7 to 11 years

• Grant number: 20/12899-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2020
• End date: November 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Regina Alouche
• Grantee: Gabriela Hidemi Oba
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria de Graduação. Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Throughout its development, children acquire fundamental manual skills for their daily lives, such as reaching movements, whose control starts between 3 and 4 months. The performance of the reach movement already shows a distinction between the sides (right and left) when the child reaches 7 years of age. This distinction characterizes the definition of the child's laterality, in other words, the development of manual motor dominance. The analysis of the relationship between the development of laterality and temporal and spatial aspects of the performance of the movement directed at the target is not clear. This study seeks to analyze the influence of laterality on the performance of the movement directed at the target in school-aged children. Children aged 7, 9 and 11 years old will be assessed using the Box and Blocks test (manual dexterity) and the performance of the movement directed at the target. For the analysis of the movement directed at the target, the participants will be positioned seated, in front of a digitizing table, with the use of a belt to restrict trunk movements. Participants must make traces from a central point towards the targets, according to stimuli presented on a monitor, by means of a tip on the sensitive surface of the graphics tablet. Time and spatial variables will be analyzed and the performance between the age groups and the right and left sides compared. The obtained results will allow to understand the influence of the laterality in the performance of the movement directed to the target in ages between 7 and 11 years.