Enhancing eye-hand coordination with therapy intervention to improve visual-spatial abilities using 'the re-training approach' in children with down syndrome: Three case studies

Abstract

Eye-hand coordination and visual-spatial abilities are an integral part of a child's development, since both skills are necessary for functional independence as well as for academic progress. Purpose: This study is aimed at understanding the relationship between visualspatial abilities and eye-hand coordination based on the 'Re-training Approach'. An underlying assumption of this approach is that skills learned for one task can be generalised to other areas. Method: Three children with Down syndrome were initially tested for eyehand coordination, and the tests were repeated periodically throughout the intervention programme which comprised visual-spatial activities. Results: The authors observed that there was a steady improvement in the eyehand coordination as well as the visual-spatial abilities of children involved in the intensive therapy programme. This improvement manifested in the reduction of time taken to perform the coordination tests and in the errors made while performing the tests.