Oportunidades na promoção do desenvolvimento motor: a realidade dos ambientes institucionais de acolhimento infantil

Abstract

This study aims to understand the context of childcare institutions as promoters of motor development for institutionalized children. Thus, two articles were written on the subject. The first was a narrative review to unravel the motor outcomes of institutionalized children and adolescents. The search was performed in three databases, Pubmed, Web of Science and Embase and articles were included in three foreign languages (Portuguese, Spanish and English). In total, 3379 references were found, after applying the exclusion criteria, 21 articles were included in the synthesis. It is concluded that there is a lack in the literature about the motor development of institutionalized children and adolescents. Although they do not have many studies, most studies have pointed out risks and motor delays in institutionalized children and adolescents. The second article assessed the environmental opportunities of 16 host institutions through the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Devolopment Questionnaire 18-42 months (AHEMD-2), the knowledge of 25 social educators on child development through the Knowledge of Infant Development questionnaire. Inventory (KIDI), and the motor development of 28 children aged 18 months to 42 months living in institutions through the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales - Second Edition (PDMS-2) instrument. A field diary was also made to better understand the context of host institutions. The results show that host institutions promote very good environmental opportunities for indoor and outdoor physical spaces, and very poor opportunities for equipment materials that stimulate the fine and gross motor skills of foster children, as well as professionals with a reasonable knowledge of child development. The children received present risks of concern due to their low level of motor development. It follows that childcare institutions should be better prepared to receive children who for various reasons have been separated from their biological parents and need favorable and appropriate conditions to avoid the risks of child development and to enhance their capacities for motor development.