In the master’s thesis we focused on the characteristics of children with global developmental delay. We were particularly interested in the development of their motoric skills and in the process of learning skills for themselves. We described individual phases of motor development and anticipated developmental milestones of gross motor and fine motor development. We provided a detailed description of the process of getting dressed and the anticipated developmental milestones in learning the skills of getting dressed. We describe preschool programs for children with special needs, which most children with global developmental delay attend. We provided a presentation of the kindergarten curriculum, where we focused on the area of motoric activities and self-care skills. The preschool period represents a time of intensive development in various development areas. Shortcomings and delays, as well as good progress, in one development area are reflected in other development areas.
In children with global developmental delay the development delays can be noted in fundamental development areas. In this master’s thesis, we explored the entanglement and mutual influence between the area of motoric skills and the area of independence in getting dressed. We conducted a case study, where we researched the influence of a program for promoting motor skills, set for individual child, on the area of independence in getting dressed. On the basis of pre-existing rating scales we created two non-standard rating scales, which we used to rate the initial and the final state of motor skills and the skills of getting dressed. We wanted to determine if the set program contributed to the improvement of the motor skills and to what extent the improvement of motor skills influences the skills of getting dressed. We established that a boy, 5 years and 9 months old, who was not included in any other types of therapies while following the set program, showed progress in the fields of motor skills, independence in getting dressed and being attentive. After executing the program, notable progress was evident in the areas of gross motor skills, specifically in walking, in changing and maintaining positions and in the area of clumsiness of movements. In the area of fine motor skills, progress was noticed in the area of holding objects and gaze direction and fixation. After undergoing the program, the boy managed to execute the majority of motor tasks, expected in children 12 to 18 months old. Before undergoing the program, the boy was only able to perform tasks, characteristic of children up to 1 year old.
We determined in this master’s thesis that the given program caused an improvement of motor skills and the skills of getting dressed.
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