Assignment 1: LASA 2—Observational and Motor Learning
During the period of early childhood, mastering fine motor skills is a very important process
needed for physical and cognitive development. However, for a number of different reasons,
there are some children who do not develop at the same pace as an average child. It is important
for parents and physicians to recognize children who are not on track developmentally because
the earlier the cause of the delay can be determined, the earlier parents can start working with the
child to correct or minimize these deficits. Often, the earlier the children begins to work on their
developmental deficits, the greater the advancements they can make.
By the age of three, a child should be able to do the following: Use a spoon by themselves Draw a vertical and horizontal line String large beads Snip paper with scissors Roll clay or play dough into a "snake" Conduct an Internet search using the two phrases listed below. Your results will help you better
understand the kind of milestones that are used to assess the development of fine motor skills in
young children. Fine motor skills milestones Child development milestones Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet,
research observational and motor learning and activities that can be used to help develop motor
skills. Then, address the following: Describe in detail how a young child’s fine motor skills are developed—making sure to
include the theory of motor-skill learning that best fits this situation. Explain whether any motor tasks or skills can be accomplished via observational
learning. Justify your response. Now, consider a situation in which a young child (3–4 years old) is developmentally
delayed in fine motor skill development. Create a strategy which would help the child
strengthen his or her fine motor skills. You can find a number of activities online which purport to help develop these skills.
From a theoretical viewpoint, be sure to explain how these activities will aid a child’s fine
motor skill development. Make sure that you reference at least one peer-reviewed article
in addition to any Web sites you find and describe these activities as part of your
development strategy. Write a 3–4-page paper in Word format. It should be double-spaced and in 12 point, Times New
Roman font with regular one-inch margins and free of typographical and grammatical errors.
Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Be sure to include a title page with a running head
and reference page. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A1.doc.
By Monday, April 24, 2017, deliver your assignment to the M5: Assignment 1 Dropbox.
Grading Criteria and Rubric
Maximum
Assignment 2 Grading Criteria
Points
Describe how a young child’s fine motor skills are
developed and include the theory of motor-skill learning
60
that best fits your chosen situation. (Course Objective
[CO] 3) Justify whether any motor tasks/skills can be accomplished
16
via observational learning. (CO3)
Create a strategy to help strengthen the fine motor skills of
a young child (3–4 years old) who is developmentally 80 delayed. (CO4)
Identify (via the Internet) at least three activities that can
be used to help develop these motor skills and describe
40
these activities as part of the development strategy to
propose. (CO4)
Explain, from a theoretical point of view, how these
activities would aid a child’s fine motor skills
40
development, making sure to reference at least one peerreviewed article. (CO3)
Writing Components:
Organization (16)
Usage and Mechanics (16) 64 APA Elements (24)
Style (8)
Total: 300
