Do executive functions and gross motor skills predict writing and mathematical performance in children with developmental coordination disorder?

Aim: To examine whether executive functions, and gross motor skills were predictors for school performance in children with DCD, with risk for DCD (r-DCD), and with typical development (TD).Methods: Participants were 63 children with DCD (Mage = 8.70, SDage = .64), 31 children with r-DCD (Mage = 8.90, SDage = 0.74), and 63 typical development children (Mage = 8.74, SDage = .63). Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2, Test of Gross Motor Development-3, Oral Word Span in Sentences, Odd-One-Out, Go/No-Go, Hayling Test, Trail Making Test, Five Digits Test, and the Test of School Performance-II were utilized.Results: In DCD, processing speed (ß = -.42, p = .005), and auditory-motor inhibition (ß = -.36, p = .009), and auditory-verbal inhibition (ß = -.38, p = .023) predicted math performance; and auditory-motor (ß = -.40, p = .38) and visuospatial working memory (ß = -.33 p = .011) predicted writing performance. In r-DCD, auditory-motor (ß = - .67; p = .002) and visual-motor (ß = -.40; p = .040) inhibition predicted math performance; visual-motor inhibition predicted writing performance (ß = -.47; p = .015).Conclusion: Lower inhibitory control and visuospatial working memory scores affect children with DCD and r-DCD' school performance.

Motor and verbal inhibitory control: Development and validity of the go/No-Go app test for children with development coordination disorder.

A set of inhibitory control tasks for the smartphone (Go/No-Go App) was developed for typical children and children with development coordination disorder (DCD). The content, construct, and criterion validity was examined. The inhibitory control Go/No-Go App test is comprised of four tasks: auditory and visual stimuli with motor and verbal responses. Six experts in neuropsychology and 252 Brazilian children (139 boys; 113 girls) participated in the study, including a subgroup of children with DCD (n = 53). A high level of agreement for clarity and pertinence was observed among the experts (Gwet's Agreement Coefficients > .09), highlighting its content validity. Suitable Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega results were observed. The confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) accepted the results for the Auditory-Motor (γ = .83), Visual-Motor (γ = .73), Auditory-Verbal (γ = .67) and Visual-Verbal (γ = .73) tasks. The model presented adequate adjustment indexes (Chi-square = .48, p = .787), 2/DF = .24; RMSEA = .00; GFI = .99; CFI = 1.00; AIC = 326.90. The Go/No-Go app is a test with adequate validity for the assessment of inhibition in children with DCD and may be very helpful due to the variation of the stimuli and the responses.

Executive function in children with and without developmental coordination disorder: A comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Children with motor impairments also show poor performance in some executive functions' components. However, there is no consensus on which specific executive subdomain is more impacted. AIM: The objective of this study was to compare executive functions in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), at risk for DCD (r-DCD), and in typically developing (TD) children. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A sample of 397 children was assessed using the MABC-2. Two groups of children were identified; DCD (n = 63) and at r-DCD (n = 31). A third matched group of children with TD (n = 63) was formed. The MABC-2 checklist and the WASI tests were used as screening tools. Measures of executive function including verbal and nonverbal tasks for working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility were tested. Multivariate analysis of variance followed by analyses of variance and Bonferroni tests were used to verify group effects on executive functions. RESULTS: A significant group effects were found for Working Memory, Λ = .78, F(4, 360) = 10.12, p ≤ .001, ηp2 = .12; Inhibitory Control, Λ = .59, F(16, 294) = 5.48, p ≤ .001, ηp2 = .23; and Cognitive Flexibility and Inhibitory Control, Λ = .60, F(22, 288) = 3.74, p ≤ .001, ηp2 = .22, with moderate effect sizes. The DCD group showed lower scores compared with the TD group on the visuospatial and verbal working memory; inhibitory control and in tasks of cognitive flexibility; the r-DCD group showed lower scores compared with the TD group for visuospatial working memory and for cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Poor performance in several measures of executive functions in children with DCD emphasized the need of motor/executive task-specific interventions. Furthermore, children at r-DCD showed low scores in several executive functions; therefore, preventive services should also be provided for this subclinical group.

Associations between motor proficiency in children with history of maltreatment and living in social economically vulnerability.

Maltreatment and living in poor socioeconomic conditions during childhood may implicate in deficits on motor proficiency, nevertheless, the literature on this issue is still scarce. The goal of the study was to investigate the possible associations among manual dexterity, aiming and catching tasks, and balance tasks for children who suffers maltreatment and lived in social vulnerability. Eighty-two (82) children (08-09 years old) participated in the study. Forty-one (41) belong to the (SEV-M Group) children living in social economic vulnerability and were previously maltreated (lived in foster homes as results of parental neglect and domestic violence), and 41 belong to the (SEV Group) children living in social economical vulnerability with no history of childhood maltreatment. Children were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children -2nd Edition. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the data. The results suggest the existence of a variety of motor difficulties in the group of children who suffered from neglect and domestic violence. The statistics model showed a negative effect for children in at-risk environments (regression coefficient=-0.30) and only showed a significant effect (p=0.04) for balance abilities. Traumatic experiences may have a negative effect on children' balance proficiency.