The Effect of Quiet Eye Training Period Manipulation on Interceptive Skill Learning in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

This study aimed at examining the effect of manipulating the length of static eye training on learning an inhibitory skill in children with developmental coordination disorder.

A quasi-experimental method with a pre-test and a post-test design was utilized during a 14-day follow-up period. The statistical population of the study were the 6-year-old girls with developmental coordination disorder in the kindergarten of Isfahan University. Using tests for assessing children's motor skills - the second version, 45 children with developmental coordination disorders were selected. Based on the pre-test scores (performance), participants were divided into three groups of 15: basic resident eye training, short-term resident eye training, and long-term resident eye training. In the pre-test, participants received 10 attempts at bean bags. The acquisition phase was performed in 18 sessions, with 10 attempts per session. At the end of the last training session, in the post-test and in two weeks of non-training in the memorial phase, the participants received 10 attempts at bean bags. At each stage, visual information was recorded by an eye tracking device and the accuracy of the throw was recorded by the researcher. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with repeated measures.

The results indicated that basic resident eye exercises, short-term resident eye exercises, and long-term resident eye exercises had a significant effect on receiving skills and duration of resident eye period (P < 0.05). Also, long-term resident eye exercises had a higher effect size compared to short-term and basic resident eye exercises.

In general, the results of the study emphasized the importance of a longer resident eye period on learning inhibitory skills, which confirms.