The motor development of 2 to 6-year old children infected with HIV

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the motor development of 2 to 6-year old
children (53.74 months, sd 12.49) who were infected (Group 1, n = 17) with HIV and
to compare their development with an affected (Group 2, n = 13) and unaffected group (Group 3, n = 12). The motor development of the group was determined by the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2). Variance of analysis (ANOVA) revealed that the developmental level of the HIV-infected group varied between 45 and 51 months, compared to their mean chronological age of 57 months, and that they performed the poorest of the groups in all the variables regarding gross motor, fine motor and total motor ability. Their total motor ability differed significantly from that of the healthy group, while their gross motor skills showed larger deficits compared to their fine motor development. A forward discriminant analysis further indicated that loco-motor skills contributed most to the discrimination between the groups. It is concluded that the infected group exhibits serious motor deficiencies in contrast to healthy children of the same chronological age. These results highlight the necessity of motor intervention for HIV-infected children, focussing on gross motor skills to improve their motor development and quality of life.

Keywords: HIV; AIDS; Children; Pediatrics; Development; Motor
development; Intervention.

South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 30 (2) 2008: pp. 39-51