THE ROLE OF PSYCHOMOTRICITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEURODIVERGENT CHILDREN: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

Psychomotricity is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the relationships between body, movement, cognition, affectivity, and social interaction, becoming particularly relevant during childhood, a period characterized by intense human development. When directed toward neurodivergent children, psychomotor practices may contribute to expanding bodily experiences, developing motor skills, spatial and temporal organization, body awareness, autonomy, and social participation. This article aims to broadly analyze the role of psychomotricity in the development of neurodivergent children, considering different neurodevelopmental conditions and a perspective grounded in human diversity and inclusion. This is a narrative literature review with a qualitative and descriptive-interpretative approach, based on books, scientific articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and documents from national and international organizations. The analysis indicates that psychomotor experiences may contribute to gross and fine motor skills, balance, coordination, motor planning, body awareness, attention, participation, and social interaction. Recent studies also indicate positive effects of exercise-based interventions on fundamental motor skills in autistic children, although the strength of evidence varies according to the condition, outcome, and type of intervention. The discussion also emphasizes that psychomotor practices should be individualized, playful, and interdisciplinary, avoiding approaches focused exclusively on correcting behaviors considered deviant. It is concluded that psychomotricity has significant potential to promote the holistic development of neurodivergent children, particularly when connected to functional needs, children's interests, family and school contexts, and the principles of inclusion and participation.