“One Jumped Off the Balance Beam”

This study reports the findings of a meta-analysis, the application of statistical methods of data synthesis from individual studies, reviewing 180 studies assessing the efficacy of perceptual-motor training. The primary finding indicated that perceptual-motor training is not an effective intervention technique for improving academic, cognitive, or perceptual-motor variables. The data were refined into more discrete groupings spanning the diverse assortment of outcomes, programs, subject, grades, and design variables. For each aggregated subset, support was rendered for the primary finding. It was concluded that extant research, although possessing methodological flaws not allowing definitive conclusions in previous narrative reviews, has demonstrated that perceptual-motor training is not effective and should be questioned as a feasible intervention technique for exceptional children.

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