This proposal addresses a common implementation gap in preschool movement play provision within inclusive settings. Although structured physical activity is widely recognized as beneficial for young children’s development (World Health Organization, 2019), limited lesson design, constrained materials, and insufficient professional preparation often result in activities that remain at the level of general running and jumping routines (Huang, 2013). Such provision does not consistently respond to the needs of preschoolers with developmental delays, particularly in motor planning, coordination, and body awareness. At the same time, inclusive early childhood education increasingly emphasizes participation-oriented support embedded in everyday routines rather than separated remedial provision (UNESCO, 2021).

Grounded in sensory integration theory (Ayres, 2005), this small-scale exploratory case study developed a sensory-integration movement-play intervention that embedded vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile input into playful preschool activities. Sensory integration has been discussed as relevant to adaptive responses and motor planning (Sober & Sabes, 2005), and some intervention studies have suggested potential benefits for motor outcomes in preschool children and children with developmental coordination difficulties (Lin et al., 2012; Hong & Lin, 2014). Recent reviews have continued to examine the potential of Ayres Sensory Integration-based approaches for children aged 0 to 12 and in school-based practice (Schoen et al., 2019; Acuña et al., 2025; Whiting et al., 2025). However, fewer studies have focused on how such principles may be translated into feasible movement-play routines within inclusive preschool classrooms, especially for children with developmental delays.

The intervention aimed to enhance gross motor performance quality in everyday preschool routines and to explore pre- and post-intervention changes in three domains: locomotion, object control, and balance. It also examined plausible factors associated with skills that improved versus those that showed limited change. Rather than relying on pull-out therapy, the intervention was designed to be feasible within routine classroom provision and implementable with typical preschool resources. In this sense, the study seeks to contribute both practical insight into movement-play design in inclusive preschool curricula and preliminary case-based evidence on how sensory-rich play may support early motor participation in inclusive settings.

Although the study was conducted in a Taiwanese preschool context, it focuses on strengthening everyday support for preschoolers with developmental delays through routine movement-play curricula. This concern may resonate with ongoing European discussions on inclusive early childhood education and early support services (UNESCO, 2021). The design logic linking sensory input, motor tasks, and play contexts may offer an adaptable reference point across different curricular frameworks and support arrangements. Future research should examine larger and more diverse samples, as well as differences in curriculum requirements, specialist support, and cultural contexts, to better understand patterns of gains and constraints in similar interventions.

An intervention-oriented case study design was used. The participants were two preschoolers with developmental delays, a twin sister and brother aged 4 years and 5 months. Individual needs were identified based on the children’s interdisciplinary developmental assessment reports, which informed the planning and implementation of the sensory-integration movement-play intervention. The program included story-based framing and warm-up movement, followed by activities targeting single sensory modalities, including vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile input. It also included integrated sensory activities such as bilateral integration and body awareness. The program further incorporated dyadic variation games and small-group or whole-group culminating play activities. Throughout the intervention, teacher demonstration and joint participation were used to enhance children’s engagement and the quality of their motor attempts. Outcome assessment used the Preschool Gross Motor Quality Scale (PGMQS; Sun et al., 2013), a standardized measure assessing locomotion, object control, and balance in preschool children, in a pretest-posttest design. Intervention effects were described through pre- and post-comparisons using normative percentile scores and domain-level changes. Given the small sample, the study does not seek broad generalization; rather, it aims to provide an in-depth examination of feasibility and observed patterns of change within an inclusive preschool context.

Both participants showed improvement in gross motor performance quality after the sensory-integration movement-play intervention. Normative percentile scores increased from 3 to 11 for one child and from 24 to 44 for the other. More consistent gains were observed in locomotion, such as consecutive single-leg hopping, side-sliding steps, and hop steps, in object control, such as two-hand catching and stationary dribbling, and in balance, such as single-leg standing and walking a straight line. More limited improvement was found in higher-difficulty skills requiring stronger force production and postural control, including overhand throwing, kicking, striking a stationary ball, and tandem stance. These constraints may be related to individual physiological limitations, weaker vestibular integration and sustained attention, and difficulties maintaining and transferring movement cues across tasks. Overall, the program appeared feasible within a preschool context and suggests the potential value of linking sensory input and motor performance through play in order to support selected aspects of gross motor performance quality. At the same time, the findings should be interpreted cautiously because they are based on only two cases. To support more advanced object control and postural stability skills, longer-term and more targeted practice opportunities are likely required. Further research with larger samples and cross-context comparison is needed to examine the transferability and sustained effects of similar interventions in inclusive early childhood settings.

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