Psychomotor development, environmental stimulation, and socioeconomic level of preschoolers in Temuco, Chile.

PURPOSE

This research was designed to describe the psychomotor development, environmental stimulation, and the socioeconomic condition of preschool children attending three educational institutions in the city of Temuco, Chile.

METHOD

The sample included 81 boys and girls whose age ranged from three to four years. The Test de Desarrollo Psicomotor (The Psychomotor Development Test), or TEPSI, was used to assess psychomotor development; the Home Observation Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Scale was used to evaluate environmental stimulation; and the Socioeconomic Standardization Model was used to categorize children's socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

The highest statistical correlation was observed between psychomotor development and environmental stimulation when comparing all three parameters across the sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Environmental stimulation may be the most relevant parameter in the study of psychomotor development of children. Socioeconomic status alone does not seem to be strongly related to children's psychomotor development in the Temuco region of Chile.