Executive Functioning, Motor Difficulties, and Developmental Coordination Disorder

Abstract

The current study assessed a comprehensive range of executive functions (EFs) in children with poor motor skills, comparing profiles of children with a diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and those identified with motor difficulties (MD). Children in both groups performed more poorly than typically developing controls on nonverbal measures of working memory, inhibition, planning, and fluency, but not on tests of switching. The similar patterns of strengths and weaknesses in children with MD and DCD have important implications for parents, teachers, and clinicians, as children with MD may struggle with EF tasks even though their motor difficulties are not identified.

Notes

¹ In the UK, the term “dyspraxia” is widely used among practitioners who give a diagnosis for DCD and is often more recognised by parents, and therefore children with a diagnosis of ‘dyspraxia’ were included in the study as long as a diagnosis of DCD was corroborated by the research team.

² The 16th percentile was used here rather than the 15th percentile, as usually reported, because it is not possible to score on the 15th percentile in the MABC-2 test (a standard score of 6 corresponds to the 9th percentile, while a standard score of 7 corresponds to the 16th percentile).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from The Waterloo Foundation to L. Henry (Ref: 1121/ 1555).