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Biomedical subjects

H Nakken

Publications and source records attributed to H Nakken.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Movement skill assessment in children with profound multiple disabilities: a psychometric analysis of the top down motor milestone test.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the psychometric properties of the Top Down Motor Milestone Test (TDMMT), an internationally used instrument in the planning and evaluation of movement-oriented interventions. SETTING: Centres for special education in the Netherlands. SUBJECTS: Children with profound multiple disabilities. METHODS: Validity, reliability and utility of the TDMMT were evaluated. Validity was assessed by conducting a principal component analysis. Reliability was determined by evaluating the internal consistency, test-retest and inter-rater reliability. With regard to utility, the hierarchical item ordering was evaluated with a Mokken scale analysis. Inter-item and item-rest correlations were calculated to confirm the allocation of the items in the TDMMT. RESULTS: Principal component analysis did not support the presence of three underlying factors. The internal consistency was high and test-retest and inter-rater reliability varied from moderate to perfect. Scale analysis showed that the subscales of the TDMMT are strong one-dimensional scales with good internal consistency, however, the order of the items could only partly be confirmed as well as the allocation of the items into four levels of functioning. CONCLUSION: The reliability of the TDMMT is good, but validity is moderate. Results indicate that adaptations to the structure of the TDMMT should be made when used for children with profound multiple disabilities. Further psychometric evaluation of the TDMMT is necessary.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: the effects of functional movement activities.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of functional movement activities within the MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education) curriculum on the independence of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. SUBJECTS: Forty-four children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. SETTING: Centres for special education. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with control group design. INTERVENTION: The children in the control group (n=12) participated in the regular programme at the centre of special education. The children within the experimental group (n=32) were additionally supported by the MOVE curriculum. METHOD: Both group comparisons and individual analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The level of independence of the experimental group increased significantly in performing movement skills; the control group did not increase significantly. At an individual level, 20 children (63%) of the experimental group improved in comparison with the control group, in which four children (33%) improved. CONCLUSION: Results showed that the children receiving functionally focused activities achieved the greatest improvements in independence when performing movement activities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Specific language impairments and behavioural problems.

The behavioural functioning of 56 children with a specific language impairment (SLI), aged 8, 10, and 12 years, was examined by using the Child Behaviour Checklist. Parents as well as teachers filled in the questionnaire. The data shows that 48% of the children with SLI were considered to have behavioural problems either at home or in school. The problems differ significantly from the norm group on internalizing behaviour and total behaviour. The children do not demonstrate more externalizing behaviour than children in the norm group. It is hypothesized that the absence of aggressive behaviour might be a characteristic of children with SLI.

Child↗
PubMed1985

Research on a psychomotor program for children with severe motor or multiple disabilities.

This report deals with help for brain-injured children with severe motor or multiple disabilities. It is argued that these children lack experiences due to their motor-disabilities. On the basis of an analysis of psychomotor programs the program by Le Gay Brereton was chosen for further research. This program was judged to be suitable because it is designed for teaching disabled children in the preschool age and because it emphasizes interaction between teacher and child. The authors, however, did not follow all her recommendations. Three experimental studies on the effects of this program are reported here. A special topic is the construction and use of the evaluation instruments. These instruments were designed for evaluating individual changes. One instrument serves to evaluate the training process. The other one tests for changes in specific cognitive skills. A statistically significant improvement was reported in all three experiments. Finally the authors present a plan for further research which concentrates on formulating individual goals for the children and on an instruction method for teachers.

Child, Preschool↗