Abstract:

Poor visual-motor integration (VMI) in children is associated with problems in learning and academic achievement and could be an early predictor to guide intervention and improve their academic performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between VMI, and academic performance amongst preschool children, and to study the association with various demographic factors and screen time exposure. The study participants were recruited using a multi-stage stratified sampling technique. VMI was assessed using Beery VMI guidelines, a visual perception test, and a motor coordination test. Participant age, academic performance, maturity at birth, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay, and screen time were studied with the VMI standard score. Data were collected for 850 preschool children (52.4% males and 47.6% females). As per VMI standard scores, 90.4% of children had average, 8.9% had above average and 0.7% had below-average scores respectively. Among the demographic factors, mean age, maturity at birth, NICU stay, and screen time showed a significant difference with VMI scores while no such significance was seen for socioeconomic status, maternal education, and gender. A significant difference between mean VMI, visual perception, and motor coordination scores and the various categories of academic performance in the study group was obtained. Findings from this study show that pre-term birth, NICU stay, and screen time may affect VMI which can lead to poor academic performance. Screening for VMI could serve as an indicator to direct early interventional measures in preschool children, aiding better academic inclusion.

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