Object-control skills in Hispanic preschool children enrolled in Head Start.

Fundamental movement skills are considered a building block for movement competence. However, little is known about the influence of culture and ethnicity on the development of fundamental motor skills. A total of 111 Hispanic preschool children enrolled in a Head Start program, ages 38 to 52 months, was assessed on object-control skills using Ulrich's Test of Gross Motor Development-2. About 83% of the participants scored poor (standard score < or = 5) and 17% of children scored very poor on the performance scale (standard score < or = 3) using the descriptions in the manual. In addition, both boys and girls evidenced similar deficiencies. This information has implications for exploring and implementing age-appropriate object-control skills for children with low socioeconomic status, such as these Hispanic Head Start preschoolers.