Correspondence:
Mojgan Farahbod
Research Institute of Exceptional Children
No15, Burbur Alley
Mofatteh St.
Tehran-15716, Iran
E-mail: mfarahbod2002@yahoo.com

Keywords
Educational Play, Eye-Hand Coordination, Hand-Hand Coordination, and Speed of Hand Skills.

Abstract
This study was conducted in an attempt to compare eye-hand coordination, hand-hand coordination and speed of hand skills (right and left) in two groups of children; one receiving educational play, and the other a non treatment control group. Sixty children, aged 4 to 6 years, were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. All subjects were pre and post tested within an interval of two months. The educational play program was presented to the experimental group in this interval. The assessments used for pre and post testing were the Purdue Pegboard, Cutting and Bead-Sorting.

Each was administered three times to provide a reliable average. Analyses showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups with regard to right/left hand skills speed (P£0/001). It was also found that the two groups were significantly different in their eye-hand and hand-hand coordination performance (P£0/001) and (P£0/001) respectively. Further analysis revealed that there was no significant correlation between height, weight and arrival date on the one hand and speed of hand skills, eye-hand and hand-hand coordination on the other. Eye-hand coordination was not found to be related to age or gender in the experimental group. A significant relationship was found between speed in right-hand skills (P£0/04) and age, while speed in left-hand skills was related to gender (P£0/02). Clinical implications of these findings for occupational therapy are discussed.

Introduction
Play is an important topics in occupational therapy. Play is considered to be a desirable activity, which results in physical and mental satisfaction. The child is considered to be a theorist moving from one stage of intellectual development to another. If the child's needs and incentives are not considered, his transition from one stage to another cannot be understood, because changes in the child's motives and desires are related to development. It is important that in play the child's needs are met. If the special features of these needs are not understood, the unity of playing as a form of activity cannot be understood.