Lynne Kenney, PsyD
Reading requires a complex interplay between cognitive, sensory, and motor processes. Sensory motor skills are fundamental to developing good reading skills in elementary school because reading involves more than just decoding letters and words on a page. Sensory motor skills are those that involve the coordination of movement with sensory input, such as eye-hand coordination, gross and fine motor skills, and spatial awareness.
Initial sensory-motor development forms neural pathways that later aid in visual tracking, essential for reading from left to right and keeping one's place on a page.
Fine motor control enables proper pencil grip and letter formation, which reinforces the visual-motor connection needed for reading comprehension.
Movements that cross the body and involve bilateral coordination enhance communication between the brain's hemispheres, boosting reading fluency and processing speed.
Balance and vestibular system development supports steady eye movements and visual fixation required for smooth text scanning.
Core strength and postural control allow children to sit properly and maintain focus during reading activities without physical fatigue.
Hand-eye coordination developed through sensory-motor activities directly translates to tracking words across a page efficiently.
Spatial awareness and directionality skills built through movement help children understand text orientation and page navigation.
Rhythm and timing abilities developed through gross motor activities support reading cadence and phonological awareness.
Proprioceptive awareness helps children develop body control for maintaining optimal reading position and distance from text.
Motor planning abilities support sequential processing skills needed for phonemic awareness and decoding unfamiliar words.
When children develop strong sensory motor skills, they are better able to track lines of text with their eyes, follow along with the flow of reading, and manipulate written materials such as books, pencils, and paper. They can also better engage in activities such as drawing, writing, and using manipulatives to develop their understanding of letters and words. Research literature reports a relationship between motor proficiency with physical, psychosocial, and cognitive development. Evidence also links the development of preliteracy skills with psychosocial and cognitive domains. Children with better-developed motor skills have been shown in several studies to score higher in domains associated with school readiness as young as four years of age.
In general, strong sensory-motor skills aid in building the essential skills required for effective reading in elementary school and later. These skills equip children with the physical and cognitive abilities necessary to interact with written language and cultivate robust literacy skills.
References:
James, K. H., & Atwood, T. P. (2009). The role of sensorimotor learning in the perception of letter-like forms: Tracking the causes of neural specialization for letters. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 26(1), 91–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/02643290802425914
Lense, M. D., Ladányi, E., Rabinowitch, T. C., Trainor, L., & Gordon, R. (2021). Rhythm and timing as vulnerabilities in neurodevelopmental disorders. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 376(1835), 20200327. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0327
Ozernov-Palchik, O., & Patel, A. D. (2018). Musical rhythm and reading development: does beat processing matter?. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 10.1111/nyas.13853. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13853
Sousa, J., Martins, M., Torres, N., Castro, S. L., & Silva, S. (2022). Rhythm but not melody processing helps reading via phonological awareness and phonological memory. Scientific reports, 12(1), 13224. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15596-7
Stoodley, C. J., Fawcett, A. J., Nicolson, R. I., & Stein, J. F. (2005). Impaired balancing ability in dyslexic children. Experimental brain research, 167(3), 370–380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-0042-x
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