Domain 7 Module: Mobility Skills (29 test questions) Flashcards
Where should an instructor be positioned during stair travel?
Slightly below and to the side of the learner to fully view the technique and to prevent support in case of a misstep.
Directly behind when ascending, two to three steps below when descending
Where should an instructor be positioned during escalator travel?
Same positioning as stair travel
movement of the body in space
Kinesiology
awareness of body position in space
Proprioception
how strong and flexible gross motor muscles are
Muscle tone
movement provides much of the environmental characteristics that is usually provided through vision. Movement gives meaning to words and provides information regarding size, shape, location, texture and others. Early learners will benefit from movement activities focusing on movement across the midline, trunk rotation, isolated movement of small body parts, upper body strength, full extension of joints, and increasing stamina. Will enable an O&M instructor to understand the movement of their students and the lack of certain movements. Also with VI babies and young children this movement is critical because they lack motivation to lift their heads, and reach around themselves. This lack of movement has long life repercussions.
Kinesiology
facilitating proprioceptive awareness will help travelers (especially children) perform specific motions, and to improve coordination throughout the body 2 things O&M can do to improve are resistance activities (tug of war, pushing, swimming) and joint compression (crawling, jumping, hopping)
Proprioception
Low muscle tone is responsible for many of the posture, gait, and coordination difficulties children with vision loss experience. As an O&M instructor, you should encourage independent movement in all forms to develop stronger muscles. For older adults, muscle tone can be developed by introducing more challenging physical activities that include resistance training (tug of war, weight bearing activities, etc.)
Muscle tone
vision serves as an important function of preparing one for changes in sensory and motor input. If a child is not expecting something to happen because they cannot see it coming, they might be oversensitive and startled quickly. Hands on demonstrations and letting the child know exactly what is happening, step-by-step is an important strategy to prepare students without eliciting a protective response. In the environment, if somebody cannot see, they may hesitate to move freely due to fear of the unknown. Knowing this, parents and facilitators should prepare safe environments for children and adults to explore, including visual, tactile, and auditory clues for safety and mental organization of the space. Making sure floors and stairs are free of clutter, good lighting, and providing contrast to corners and drop offs will help children and adults navigate through their environment.
Predictability
The optimal performance of sensorimotor skills relies not only on the previously development of lower level skills, but also the adequate development of fundamental sensorimotor elements – sensory awareness, muscle tone, and coordination. When choosing and designing sensorimotor activities, it is important to consider what functional skills the student needs and which prerequisite abilities they must have, and to choose activities that facilitate normal muscle tone, sensory development, reflexes, and equilibrium as appropriate.
Sequencing
Purposeful, self-initiated movement is essential for developing motor skills. Through movement, muscle tone, proprioceptive awareness, and coordination are developed. Only through active interaction with the environment can people learn how to function within it.
active movement
Because the acquisition of higher-level motor skills relies heavily on the development of lower-level skills and abilities, it is important to weigh in and mediate need against long-term benefit of emphasizing quality of movement. Focusing on prerequisite skills (proprioceptive, muscle tone, and balance) will facilitate better quality of movement goals (walking)
quality of movement
specific skills are learned best during critical periods when the appropriate sensory and motor inputs are coming together. If these critical periods are missed, some skills may never be learned, or if they are learned out of sequence, higher-level skills may rest on faulty foundations. Is it important to encourage the sequential development of sensorimotor skills are normal developmental ages.
timing of movement
it is important to integrate new sensorimotor skills into students’ everyday lives.
Integration of movement
What impact does vision loss have on the sensorimotor functions?
Because of the major role that vision plays in sensorimotor development in children, some aspects of development may often be delated in clients with vision loss. Due to the degree of interaction among visual, vestibular, and reflex sensory inputs in the central nervous system, when one of those systems is slow to develop, usually one of both of the others can demonstrate delay. Many children who are congenitally blind have hypotonia, or low muscle tone and demonstrate motor skill delays and postural and movement problems. Coordination difficulties are related to poor sensorimotor integration of reflexes. Self-initiated exploration and movement are decreased in students with vision impairment. This lack of physical activity delays the later acquisition of motor skills and can impact cognitive and perceptual development.
As people age, they may experience a decrease in proprioceptive function, which can alter a person’s gait pattern and balance. This will lead to an increased chance of falling.
used to maintain a static position, such as sitting or standing.
Static Balance
used during movement, such as walking or running.
Dynamic balance
For what purpose would a learner use the upper-hand-and-forearm techniques?
- Allows for efficient and independent travel
- Offers protection when you don’t have a cane
- Assists in locating objects that cannot be detected with a cane
- Helps locate landmarks on wall
- Detects and protects from objects that may be encountered by the upper part of the body
- Used for: travelling through doors with guide, detecting vertical obstacles at head and chest level (coatrack), most effective when using cane
For what purpose would a learner use the lower-hand-and-forearm techniques?
- Detects and protects from objects at waist level – not effective for below waist level
- Used for: locating chairs, doorknobs, objects below waist level
- Should be used in familiar environments without drop-offs, surface level changes, or known obstacles that may be present and can cause injury
Give examples of when a learner would use protective techniques during their daily travels.
- Upper: travelling through doors with guide, detecting vertical obstacles at head and chest level (coatrack), low hanging branches
- Lower: locating chairs, doorknobs, objects below waist level
Why it’s important
- Establish a straight line of travel which will avoid potential hazards
-
When is it used?
- when you need to travel a straight line
- when you need to locate a landmark
Process
- Position yourself parallel to the surface to be trailed in your desired line of travel
o Helps maintain orientation
- Arm closest to trailing surface extended forward and down with the wrist at waist height
o Allows for reaction time
o Reduces chance of contacting protruding objects
- Palm slightly cupped, fingers and thumb relaxed and close together and the fingers pointing downward
o Reduces changes of jamming fingers
o Aligns body along the wall
- move forward with the side of the pinky finger maintaining light contact with surface
o reduces chances of scrapes or injury
o allows learner to more easily move around objects
- Trail surface until a line of travel is established or a landmark or destination is located
Trailing
Why it’s important
- Enables a learner to use a perpendicular surface to establish straight line of travel for crossing a hallway or other open space.
When is it used?
- When you don’t have a cane
- Familiar environments
- Street crossing
- With or without long cane or while using protective techniques
Includes Squaring off and parallel Alignment
Direction taking
Why it’s important
- Establish a straight line of travel which will avoid potential hazards
- Helps in search patterns
- Establishes object to object relationships
When is it used?
- When you don’t have a cane
- Familiar environments
- Street crossing
Process
- Put two or more body parts against object; align back, shoulders, or heels against a straight surface or object
o Ensures alignment
- Project line of travel in a straight line from midline, perpendicular from object your back is to and walk forward using a protective technique or a cane
o Will tactually/conceptually provide a straight-line movement
squaring off
Why it’s important
- enable learner to use a parallel surface to establish a straight line of travel
- Establishes object to object relationships
When is it used?
- When you don’t have a cane
- Familiar environments
- Room Familiarization
- crossing through open space
Process
- Use one arm or shoulder to position parallel to a straight surface or object
o Makes sure you’re aligned before moving forward
- Project a straight line of travel from midline into open space and walk forward using either protective techniques or a cane
o This will help reduce veering
Parallel alignment