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The association of abnormal cerebellar function in children with developmental coordination disorder and reading
1Reproductive and Developmental Sciences, Child Life and Health, Community Child Health, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, 10 Chalmers Crescent, Edinburgh EH9 ITS, UK. A.O'Hare@ed.ac.uk
Insights
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) often experience reading and writing delays, linked to motor skill and cerebellar function difficulties. Early assessment for phonological awareness is recommended for these children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is associated with a high risk of reading and writing delays.
- Motor skill deficits in DCD are heterogeneous, often including signs of cerebellar dysfunction affecting posture, balance, and movement control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To confirm parental reports of reading and writing delays in children with DCD.
- To investigate the relationship between motor function, cerebellar function, and reading/writing difficulties in DCD.
- To identify specific gross motor skills that differentiate children with DCD.
Main Methods:
- Clinical examination and standardized motor function testing were used to diagnose DCD in 23 children.
- Direct measurement of reading ability was performed.
- Standardized neurological function tests, including cerebellar function assessment, were administered.
- A pilot parental questionnaire on gross motor skills was completed by children with DCD and 136 typically developing children.
Main Results:
- Parental reports and direct measurements confirmed reading and writing delays in a significant portion of the DCD group.
- Children with reading delays exhibited phonological awareness difficulties.
- All children with DCD showed cerebellar dysfunction, though no distinct pattern differentiated those with reading delays.
- Handwriting, catching a ball, and jumping on a moving roundabout distinguished children with DCD from typically developing peers.
Conclusions:
- Children with DCD should be screened for phonological awareness deficits.
- Gross motor skills assessed via a parental questionnaire may help identify children needing further evaluation.
- Cerebellar dysfunction is common in DCD, and further research may reveal patterns associated with reading delays.
Abstract:
Children with developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia (DCD) are at high risk of reading and writing delay. The difficulties with motor skills are heterogeneous and many children have features of poor cerebellar function, reflected in problems with posture, balance and fast accurate control of movement. This study confirmed a high level of parental reporting of reading and writing delay in a clinical group of 23 children with DCD, defined on the basis of both clinical examination and standardized testing of motor function. Direct measurement of reading delay, identified still further children in the group. Those children with reading delay had associated findings typical of phonological awareness difficulties. The children also underwent a standardized test of neurological function and although they all had difficulties with cerebellar function, no distinctive pattern emerged for those whose presentation was complicated by delayed reading and writing. Both the children with DCD and 136 typically developing children, completed the pilot parental questionnaire on gross motor skills. The three skills of catching a ball, jumping on a moving playground roundabout and handwriting, distinguished the children with DCD. This study therefore confirms that children with DCD should be assessed for difficulties in phonological awareness. Additionally, children aged between 7 and 12 years are on the whole, highly competent in a range of gross motor skills and further study might determine whether a simple parental questionnaire might detect children who would benefit from further assessment. The study also suggests that all the children with DCD have cerebellar dysfunction and further work with a larger group might determine particular patterns associated with reading delay.