Playful and Psychopedagogical Strategy to Improve Fine Motor Skills in Children with Down Syndrome
Keywords:
play-based strategy; psychopedagogy; fine motor skills; children with Down syndromeAbstract
Introduction: Essential skills such as writing, buttoning, utensil use, and handling small objects significantly impact functional independence, school performance, and self-esteem in children with Down syndrome. Therefore, it is necessary to establish effective intervention strategies that must be evaluated in their effectiveness.
Objective: To analyze the effects of a playful and psychopedagogical strategy to improve fine motor skills in children with Down syndrome.
Methods: A quasi-experimental study (experimental group: n=14; control group: n=15) was conducted in children with Down syndrome (11–12 years old, male sex). For eight weeks, a playful and psychopedagogical intervention was implemented, including sessions of fine motor stimulation. Assessment was carried out using the Peabody Development Motor Scale-Second Edition (PDMS-2) exam, focused on the dimensions of Grasping and Visual-Motor Integration.
Results: The study group showed significant improvements in the dimensions of Grasping and Visual-Motor Integration after receiving the ludic and psychopedagogical intervention. The average score in the grasping procedure increased from 88.3 to 104.7 (p=0.001), and in visual-motor integration from 85.6 to 101.1 (p=0.002). On the other hand, the control group showed only minimal variations without statistical relevance. In addition, post-test comparisons revealed significant differences between groups in favor of the experimental group.
Conclusions: The implementation of a playful and psychopedagogical strategy significantly enhances fine motor skills in children with Down syndrome, particularly in dimensions of grasping and visual-motor integration.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ligia Paola Herrera-Murillo, Rodrigo Roberto Santillán-Obregón, Grace Amparo Obregón-Vite, Cristina Yolanda Vilatuña-Clavijo
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