ProgramsProject GrowthProject Growth Participants in the 2005-2006 School Year as of September, 2005
Last year was Project Growth’s first year in operation. There were only 2 schools participating. The progress was very impressive for the teachers, parents, students, administrators, school boards and Achievers Unlimited. After the impressive data was published, numerous schools, teachers, OT’s, special education teachers, daycares, early childhood programs wanted more information. We are proud that the response has been tremendous, but we know this is only the beginning!
Partner Organization
Achievers Unlimited of Wisconsin, Inc. located in Fond du Lac and Brookfield has worked with individuals for over 30 years on the enhancement of visual perceptual skills. Personnel from Achievers did pre and post testing of all students and trained staff members and volunteers to implement the program.
Purpose
To demonstrate that positive clinical outcomes in the areas of sequencing, fine motor skill development, balance, body awareness, and visual-perceptual development can be accomplished in a larger classroom setting to positively impact student learning.
Problem
Lower than desired reading proficiency scores on various standardized instruments, as well as a significant population of younger students served by Title I and District Reading Specialists because they evidence early reading problems caused the District to explore a means to strengthen visual perceptual skills in the kindergarten population to potentially prevent or lessen future learning problems and improve emergent reading proficiency.
Rationale
In a research study by Kattouf and Steele (2000), it is reported that a child's ability to learn can be affected by both perceptual interference and functional efficiency interference. The study also cites the fact that visual perceptual skill development is significantly diminished in lower socioeconomic populations, which corroborates the earlier studies of Frey and Pinelli (1991).
Approximately 20% of the District's population qualifies for free and reduced lunch, minimally placing at least this percentage in the lower
socioeconomic category and thus potentially at risk for learning difficulties related to poorly-developed visual perceptual skills.
Visual perceptual skills
The work of Chalfant and Scheffelin and Colarusso and Hammill was used to further define the visual perceptual skill area as including spatial relationships, visual discrimination, figure-ground, visual closure, and visual memory.
Procedure
All students are pre and post tested using the Beery Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration and the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test. Test results are explained to the teachers, and a brief thirty-minute inservice is provided to highlight activities that can be integrated into the normal classroom routine. These activities help students develop visual perceptual skills, sequencing skills, fine motor skills, balance, and body control skills.
The activities have also improved students' behavior and increased their attention span according to anecdotal records maintained by the teachers. These teachers' notes also indicate an increased interest in numbers, letters, and words as students progress through the project.
Results
Initial project results showed an increase in post-test scores on both standardized instruments. The positive outcomes of this first attempt, which spanned nine weeks during the spring semester of 2004, caused us to expand the program to a full year in both kindergarten and first grade during the 2004-2005 school year. This fall the pre-test scores of our first graders were compared with those of a control group. The 96 first graders in the Beaver Dam District are quite comparable in terms of demographics to our 92 first graders and therefore begin to help us understand the impact of visual perceptual skill development in kindergarten on student learning.
If you are interested in more information on Project Growth, please contact Donna Wendelburg at Achievers Unlimited of Wisconsin at 920-924-9898 or 866-924-9898.  Functional Vision TherapyMore information coming soon.  ADD/ADHDMore information coming soon.
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