Development of motor skills and abilities of a child with hypotonia in special education classes

The development of movement efficiency is of utmost importance in the preschool period, in which children adopt basic motor skills that are a foundation of a wholesome future development. Hypotonia, which can be the consequence of a plethora of inborn or obtained neurological defects and disorders, is an important factor in the development of motor skills in young children. Children that are afflicted by such condition often have decreased muscle strength and hypermobile joints and tend to be less endurant. Any combination of these symptoms can lead to bad posture and harder achievement of development milestones, especially the ones connected to gross and fine motor skills. They tend to be less motivated to participate in activities that involve movement, avoiding them if an opportunity arises. When working with such children, the teacher of special education needs to develop an individualized program, that helps the child develop motor skills and abilities. Appropriate and timely intervention combined with a systematic approach for encouraging movement development are key factors for maximum progress of children diagnosed with hypotonia and can help such children improve their quality of life and ease their integration with their environment. In the case study, the characteristics of a five year old boy diagnosed with hypotonia were researched, using the analysis of the existing data, professional documentation and evaluation of his motor capabilities, for which a questionnaire Movement ABC 2 Checklist was employed. Before forming an individualized program for development of motor skills and abilities, the boy was also evaluated using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC - 2). The conclusion was, that he has significant motor difficulties in the fine and gross motor skills area. Accordingly, an individual program was formed, based on the program »Animal Fun«, that can help with sistematic movement development. The ten week program was practiced four times weekly, half an hour per session. After the ten weeks, the evaluation using MABC - 2 was repeated. The boy showed progress in all the categories of the evaluation. His manual dexterity, aim, catching capabilities and static and dynamic balance improved significantly. The overall quality of his movement improved, his endurance increased and he was now more eager to engage in activities, that involve movement