Establishing normative data for the Functional Dexterity Test in typically developing children aged 3-5 years.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. INTRODUCTION: The Functional Dexterity Test (FDT) is a timed pegboard hand dexterity test. Normative data have been developed primarily in adults with some studies in the pediatric population. The present study will complement the existing pediatric data and make the FDT a stronger assessment for use in this population. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The primary aim of this study was to collect normative data in typically developing children aged 3-5 years in the Greater Montreal area; the secondary aim was to evaluate the intrarater and interrater reliabilities of the FDT. METHODS: The FDT was administered to typically developing children aged 3-5 years, who were recruited from various geographical locations and socioeconomic status levels across the Greater Montreal area. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and analysis of variance were used to compare age-gender groups. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to determine intrarater and interrater reliabilities. RESULTS: Normative data were collected from 267 children (137 females) from 18 daycares. Statistically significant differences in FDT scores were found across all age bands (P < .01). Total time decreased with increasing age (P < .01). No significant differences were found between genders. The FDT showed excellent interrater (ICC = 0.89-0.98) and intrarater (ICC = 0.83-0.99) reliabilities. CONCLUSIONS: The clear and standardized pediatric instructions, scoring sheet, and normative data table developed in this study provide health care professionals with quick and easy tools to facilitate scoring and clinical interpretation of hand dexterity in preschool-aged children. Future studies should include school-aged children and adolescents from a larger geographic area.

Biomechanical Characterization of Preparation for Airs above the Ground: A Mixed Approach.

Equitation in the French tradition is a school of riding that emphasizes harmonious relations between humans and horses. The best-known community is the Cadre Noir of Saumur, whose specialty is the air above the ground (AAG). No study has yet looked at the horse-rider interaction in this specific context. The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify indicators of AAGs based on the empirical perception of the écuyers expressed by a method of self-confrontation interviews. Fourteen training sessions were the subject of phenomenological and biomechanical approaches. Contact, balance, and hoof-beat, decisive for performance quality, were characterized for 49 AAGs, performed by five horses trained by two expert écuyers, with rein tension meters integrated in their double bridle (curb and snaffle reins) and six inertial measurement units fixed on the limbs, sternum, and croup. Their action was characterized by a peak of 65 ± 39 N on the inside curb rein. They considered that their horse was in balance (forehand inclined 13 ± 7° and -12 ± 9° for the hind hand). After the peak, during the 3.3 ± 2 s the horse's trunk was stable and the écuyers released the contact until the AAG was perceived as satisfactory by the écuyer. The mixed approach allowed a pattern of action to be envisaged for the écuyer based on contact, balance, and hoof-beat in the execution of AAGs. The quantification of rein tension, trunk movements, and acceleration of the four limbs objectified the expert écuyers' feeling of developing aptitudes for their actions in the human-horse interactions for improved transmission to young écuyers. The mixed approach used in this study has given rise to new training methods that are transferable to other equestrian activities.