Processes Underlying Clumsiness:

Abstract

In this article, four distinct perspectives on the causes of clumsiness are reviewed. These are the neuropathological, visual perceptual, kinaesthetic processing, and motor programming perspectives. Diverse and contradictory findings are reported. Three factors contributing to the inconsistency of the findings are discussed. These are the complexity of skilled movement, sampling methods, and common use of correlational designs. The findings of this review suggest occupational therapists need to consider visual perceptual, kinaesthetic processing, and motor programming abilities when assessing clumsy children. Test-train-retest studies are needed to determine the exact nature of the relationship between these abilities and clumsiness.