Deficits in motor co-ordination and attention at 3 years of age predict motor deviations in 6.5-year-old children who needed neonatal intensive care.

BACKGROUND: A total of 189 children without major impairments who needed neonatal intensive care (NIC) were followed up at ages 3 and 6.5 years. AIM: To determine the prevalence of different motor deviations at age 6.5 years and the co-occurrence of attention deficits; also, to analyse the predictive ability of motor co-ordination and attention assessments at age 3 years for motor deviations at 6.5 years. METHOD: A combined assessment of motor performance and behaviour (CAMPB) was used at the 3-year examination. The Test of Motor Impairment (TOMI) and the Motor-Perceptual Development (MPU) were used together with the criteria of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR) to define motor deviations. RESULTS: At 6.5 years 64% of the children showed a motor deviation either as a delay according to MPU, a problem according to TOMI or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) according to DSM-IV-TR. Higher proportions of children with attention deficit (50%) were found in the DCD group. The predictive ability of CAMPB was analysed in two ways: when all children with either a co-ordination or attention deficit, or both, at 3 years were considered to be at risk for motor deviations at 6.5 years, the sensitivity reached 78% and the specificity was 42%. But when only the 3 year olds with a combined deficit were considered to be at risk, the sensitivity was 37% and the specificity 89%; however, a positive predictive value of 86% was reached. CONCLUSION: At 6.5 years of age a majority of NIC children with no major impairments showed motor deviations. To fulfil the DCD criteria in DSM-IV-TR, a strict definition of motor deviations is recommended. Attention deficits are more prevalent among children with DCD. Deficits in motor co-ordination and/or attention in 3-year-old children are strong predictors of motor deviations and, especially, of DCD at 6.5 years of age.

Associations of motor co-ordination and attention with motor-perceptual development in 3-year-old preterm and full-term children who needed neonatal intensive care.

BACKGROUND: Children who have needed neonatal intensive care (NIC) are considered to be at risk for deficits such as developmental co-ordination disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. By assessing motor-perceptual development, motor co-ordination and attention already at 3 years of age, it might be possible to identify such deficits earlier than they are today. AIM: To investigate the motor-perceptual development in a group of 202 NIC children but had no major impairments, to describe associations of deficits in co-ordination and attention with motor-perceptual delays, and to estimate the prevalence of NIC children with combined deficits together with a motor-perceptual delay. METHOD: Co-ordination and attention in children born very preterm (n = 57), moderately preterm (n = 75) and full-term (n = 70) were observed according to a model for Combined Assessment of Motor Performance and Behaviour while they were assessed using a developmental scale, Motor-Perceptual Development, 0-7 years, MPU. RESULTS: In two out of 14 MPU areas, a larger proportion of very preterm than of moderately preterm and full-term children had marked developmental delay. Overall, the proportion of NIC children having a motor-perceptual delay increased with increasing incoordination and especially increasing lack of attention. Twenty-one (11%) of the NIC children had different motor-perceptual delays combined with pronounced incoordination and pronounced lack of attention. CONCLUSION: Deficits in co-ordination and attention were associated with motor-perceptual delays in areas important for daily living and development of academic skills. Therefore, to find children at risk for developmental co-ordination disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, assessments of co-ordination and attention should be added to assessments of motor-perceptual development in 3-year-old NIC children.

Quality of motor performance in preterm and full-term 3-year-old children.

BACKGROUND: A combined assessment of motor performance and behaviour (CAMPB) was introduced previously for use in a longitudinal study of children who needed neonatal intensive care (NIC) and were born very preterm (n = 68), moderately preterm (n = 81) and full-term (n = 77) and in a reference group of neonatally healthy full-term children (n = 72). Aim To follow up the quality of motor performance at 3 years of age in the above groups of children. METHOD: A detailed assessment of motor performance and an assessment of co-ordination were performed according to the CAMPB protocol. The results were compared between the different groups of children, and the relation between the two ways of assessing quality of motor performance was examined. RESULTS: The detailed assessment showed that the very preterm children had a significantly higher total score of deviations than any of the other gestational age groups of children. Also, some types of deviations were much more frequently observed in the very preterm children than in the other three groups. Some types of deviations were more often seen in children with pronounced incoordination than in children with no incoordination. The results from the two ways of assessing motor performance were strongly correlated. CONCLUSION: At 3 years of age, NIC children born very preterm have a lower quality of motor performance than NIC children born at a higher gestational age and healthy children born at term. The two ways of assessing quality of motor performance proved useful in identifying children with deviations indicating minor motor impairments.

Motor performance and behaviour in preterm and full-term 3-year-old children.

AIM: To compare the motor performance and behaviour at 3 years of age of very preterm, moderately preterm and full-term children (n = 221), who needed neonatal intensive care (NIC), and of 72 neonatally healthy full-term children (reference group). METHOD: A model for combined assessment of motor performance and behaviour (CAMPB) was used. The children's performance was assessed on the basis of observations and documentation of categories of co-ordination, attention and social behaviour included in CAMPB. RESULTS: Significantly more very preterm children showed deviations in co-ordination than children in the other groups, and this difference was most evident in comparison with the reference group. No differences were found between the groups regarding attention and social behaviour during the assessment. CONCLUSION: Very preterm children differ from moderately preterm and full-term children in their motor performance at 3 years of age. By means of CAMPB, individual children with pronounced incoordination were identified in all groups, and some of them also showed pronounced lack of attention.

A model for combined assessment of motor performance and behaviour in 3-year-old children.

This paper presents a new model for combined assessment of motor performance and behaviour (CAMPB) in 3-year-old children. It is intended for simultaneous use with a scale for assessment of motor-perceptual development. The child's performance is observed and compared with detailed descriptions of performance in gross and fine motor functions, and descriptions of coordination, attention and social behaviour, included in a protocol. An overall evaluation is also made. These assessments have been performed in a longitudinal follow-up study of children who needed intensive care neonatally and a control group of 72 neonatally healthy children. In this report the results from CAMPB assessments in the control group are presented. CAMPB together with the motor-perceptual scale was feasible in these 3-year-old children and CAMPB was sensitive enough to detect differences between children. The motor performance in most children conformed with the descriptions of gross and fine motor function in the protocol, and clear deviations were few. Seven per cent of the children had considerable problems in motor function and/or perception, in combination with a lack of attention, according to the overall evaluation.