Perceptual, motor and cognitive performance components of Bedouin children in Israel

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptual, motor and cognitive performance abilities of Bedouin children as compared with mainstream Israeli children of the same age. The study population comprised two age groups (6–8 year olds and 10–12 year olds) living in two different types of settlements (rural and town). Participants included 20 children in each group. The Test of Visual‐Perceptual Skills (TVPS), the Developmental Test of Visual‐Motor Integration (VMI), selected subtests from the Bruininks‐Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) were used. Older participants in all three groups performed better than the younger subjects. There were no significant differences between the two Bedouin groups in either age category. The mainstream Israeli subjects scored significantly higher than the two Bedouin groups on most variables tested. The lack of differences between the two Bedouin groups may indicate that the transition from nomadic communities to urban communities is mainly external and has not caused a significant change in perception, perceptual‐motor and cognitive performance abilities. The results of this study may be used as a base for developing preventive intervention programmes to meet the specific needs of Bedouin children. A limitation of this study was the classification of the Bedouin population according to their dwelling place and not according to their sociodemographic background, such as parents' economic status, parents' education and so on. Recommendations for future research include expanding the number of participants, including children from additional rural schools of various distant tribes and incorporating more detailed cognitive assessments. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd.