Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

The importance of (psycho)motor feature in the assessment and treatment of children's social problems

The text briefly discusses the importance of the motor skills to no handicapped school age children's social interactions. Social skills are recognized as having a continuous development during one's life time and this way they are seen as factors of one's adjustrment and quality of life. According to this, children's relationships with peers are said very important. The author argues that in a Behavioural perspective, both the assessment and the treatment of the children's social difficulties have been neglected the motor feature of the social interactions, despite the motor skills are essential to children's participation in their peers' activities. A clinical example shows the utility for both the processes (psychotherapeutic assessment and intervention) not to be restricted to the social verbal skills since they are not enough for the children's maintenance in the group neither for friendship. The conclusion indicates that is necessary for the child behavioural therapist to know psychomotor assessment and intervention techniques.

motor skills; social skills; child behavioural therapist


Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas Núcleo de Editoração SBI - Campus II, Av. John Boyd Dunlop, s/n. Prédio de Odontologia, 13060-900 Campinas - São Paulo Brasil, Tel./Fax: +55 19 3343-7223 - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: psychologicalstudies@puc-campinas.edu.br