Developmental sequences of two-handed catching: how do children with and without developmental coordination disorder...

Area of Science:

• Motor Development
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) impacts motor skills.
• Understanding movement patterns in DCD is crucial for intervention.
• Two-handed catching involves complex arm, hand, and body coordination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine movement patterns in children with DCD versus age-matched controls (AMC) during two-handed catching.
• To investigate developmental sequences of arm, hand, and body actions in catching.
• To compare the stability and advancement of motor coordination profiles between children with and without DCD.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study to validate developmental sequences for two-handed catching.
• Longitudinal evaluation of movement patterns using established developmental sequences.
• Analysis of 36 children (18 DCD, 18 AMC) aged 7-10 years, followed by 20 children (10 DCD, 10 AMC) aged 7-8 years.

Main Results:

• Children with DCD exhibited less advanced modal developmental sequences for arm and body actions (p
• DCD group showed less advanced overall developmental profiles compared to AMC (p
• Children with DCD displayed more variable and unstable motor profiles across trials (p

Conclusions:

• Children with DCD demonstrate less mature and less stable coordination patterns in two-handed catching.
• DCD is associated with difficulties in integrating arm, hand, and body movements into a cohesive motor pattern.
• Findings suggest a need for targeted interventions to improve motor coordination stability in children with DCD.