Zoekresultaten

Overlap of language and motor skills in children with DCD and DLD

Overlap of language and motor skills between children with DCD and DLD

Overlap of language and motor skills between children with DCD and DLD

Activities of daily living in children with developmental coordination disorder

Background. Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) face evident motor difficulties in daily functioning. Little is known, however, about their difficulties in specific activities of daily living (ADL). Objective. To (a) investigate differences between children with DCD and their typically developing peers, for ADL performance, learning, and participation, and (b) explore the predictive values of these aspects. Design. Cross-sectional study.Methods: Both in a clinical sample of children diagnosed with DCD (n=25, age range 5-8 years; 21 males) and typically developing peers (25 matched controls), parents completed the DCDDaily-Q. Differences in scores between the groups were investigated using T-tests for performance and participation, and Pearson’s Chi-square for learning. Multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the predictive values of performance, learning, and participation. Results. Compared to peers, children with DCD showed poor performance of ADL (p≤.005 for all items), delays in learning of ADL p≤.002 for all items), and less frequent participation in some ADL (p=.001 for mean total scores, p≤.05 for 7 out of 23 items). Children with DCD demonstrated heterogeneous patterns of performance (poor in 10-80% of the items) and learning (delayed in 0-100% of the items). In the DCD group, delays in learning of ADL were a predictor for poor performance of ADL (p=.001), and poor performance of ADL was a predictor for less frequent participation in ADL compared to peers (p=.040). Limitations. A limited number of children with DCD was addressed in this study.Conclusions. This study highlights the impact of DCD on children’s daily lives and the need for tailored intervention.

Healthy development of children: a spiral of (dis)engagement?

Background: Healthy development of children is under pressure. While governments, schools and organizations are trying to stimulate physical activity in children, reduce overweight and improve motor skills, they are facing challenges in finding effective strategies. The model proposed by Stodden et al. (2008) is an interesting framework for studying healthy development of children, as it encompasses the physical aspect (motor skill competence, physical fitness, weight status), the mental aspect (perceived competence) and a behavioral component (physical activity). Importantly, it acknowledges the developmental stages of children by including age. Therefore, this model serves as the basis for this study in which we are looking for insights to effectively influence healthy development of children. Methods and Results: We measured these five variables in a large sample (N > 1000) of children in the Netherlands (age: 4-12, 50% girls). Through structural equation modeling we searched for cross-sectional as well as 1-year longitudinal relationships. Our results showed concurrent relationships between all variables and a tipping point at which relationships emerged or strengthened. The results indicated that targeting motor competence at a young age might be a feasible way to ensure continued participation in physical activities. However, longitudinal analyses revealed no effect of motor skill competence (T1) on physical activity (T2). Physical fitness appeared to be more important as a potential mediator than perceived motor competence. As a follow-up study, the five variables will be analyzed via a person-centered approach (latent profile analyses). This will guide us towards tailoring future interventions to the specific needs of subgroups of children. Analyses of this study are ongoing and will be presented at the conference. Conclusions: Our multiple analyses have shed additional light on the complexity of healthy development of children. In the upcoming presentation we will unite our study findings and delineate implications for developing effective strategies.

El impacto de Wii Fit intervención en el control de equilibrio dinámico en niños con Trastorno de probables problemas de equilibrio y la coordinación del desarrollo

The aim of this study was to examine differences in the performance of children with probable Developmental Coordination Disorder (p-DCD) and balance problems (BP) and typical developing children (TD) on a Wii Fit task and to measure the effect on balance skills after a Wii Fit intervention. Twenty-eight children with BP and 20 TD-children participated in the study. Motor performance was assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC2), three subtests of the Bruininks Oseretsky Test (BOT2): Bilateral Coordination, Balance and Running Speed & Agility, and a Wii Fit ski slalom test. The TD children and half of the children in the BP group were tested before and after a 6 weeks non-intervention period. All children with BP received 6 weeks of Wii Fit intervention (with games other than the ski game) and were tested before and afterwards. Children with BP were less proficient than TD children in playing the Wii Fit ski slalom game. Training with the Wii Fit improved their motor performance. The improvement was significantly larger after intervention than after a period of non-intervention. Therefore the change cannot solely be attributed to spontaneous development or test-retest effect. Nearly all children enjoyed participation during the 6 weeks of intervention. Our study shows that Wii Fit intervention is effective and is potentially a method to support treatment of (dynamic) balance control problems in children.