The Effect of a Rhythmic Motor Program on Perceptual- Motor Abilities of Educable Mentally Retarded Children

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a rhythmic motor program on the perceptual – motor abilities (PMA) and the intelligence quotient (IQ) of educable mentally retarded (EMR) children. The sample consisted of 24 EMR girls (mean age = 11.98+1.43 years and IQ = 70.58+ 9.95). Then, they were matched and assigned to two groups of intervention and control according to their IQ and PMA performance. The intervention group received an 8–week rhythmic motor program three sessions per week, 40–45 minutes per session. The data collection included pretest and posttest of the PMA (Oseretsky scale) and intelligence (Raven’s test) for all subjects. The results showed that the intervention group significantly improved (P>0.05) their PMA after the rhythmic motor program compared with the control group. It was concluded that the PMA of mentally retarded children can be improved with the application of a well-designed rhythmic motor program