Effects of Entertainment-Based and Learning-Based Objects on Fine Motor Skills Development in Children with Special Needs using Sensory Boards
Sensory objects are meant to help practice motor skills and have properties that could potentially make them very beneficial for children with special needs to interact with, from development to focus to calmness. Recent toys like fidget spinners have properties similar to those of common sensory items, but they have claimed to help treat disorders like ASD, ADHD, and anxiety, all without scientific evidence. This project was meant to investigate whether entertainment objects (fidget objects) can be used in sensory boards along with learning objects (real-world items) to aid in the development of fine motor skills in children with special needs.
The experiment was conducted using a before-and-after test on the fine motor skills of children with special needs, with a sensory board consisting of three real-world objects (doorknob, zipper, etc.). They were asked to use all three objects, then rated on how well they used each object. The rating scale ranged from zero to three, with the student scoring zero if they did not touch the object, and scoring three if they grasped and moved it with ease. Each day for approximately one week between the tests, the students were given time in class to interact with a different sensory board consisting of either six learning objects, or half learning objects and half entertainment objects.
Both types of the sensory boards improved the fine motor skills of the students, and the entertainment-centered boards worked better as hypothesized, but the statistical test showed that the difference between the means of the two groups was not significant.
The conclusion of this project is that fidget objects can be used on sensory boards to help develop fine motor skills in children with special needs.
Research Conducted By:
Dylan Barrick
Center Line High School
Thomas Kettler
Lake Shore High School
Warren Consolidated Schools