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Sensorimotor skills associated with motor dysfunction in children born extremely preterm
Traci-Anne Goyen1, Kei Lui, Jill Hummell
1Centre for Newborn Care, Westmead Hospital, New South Wales, Australia. tagoyen@optushome.com.au
Early Human Development
|May 10, 2011
Summary
Children born extremely preterm may have motor dysfunction. This study found they struggle with visual processing and motor planning, even without other deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Motor Control
Background:
- Children born prematurely are at risk for motor dysfunction, even without intellectual or sensorineural deficits.
- Extreme preterm birth (<29 weeks or <1000g) presents unique developmental challenges.
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects motor skills and can impact children without obvious cognitive impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sensorimotor processing skills and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in apparently normal, extremely preterm children.
- To identify specific sensorimotor deficits in preterm children diagnosed with DCD.
- To understand the relationship between early motor difficulties and later cognitive processing in preterm populations.
Main Methods:
- A matched case-control study involving 50 extremely preterm children (born <29 weeks or <1000g, IQ>85, no sensorineural disability) and 50 term-born controls.
- Assessment at 8 years of age using a battery of sensorimotor tests including visual-motor skills, visual perception, tactile perception, kinaesthesia, and praxis.
- Comparison of sensorimotor performance between preterm children with and without DCD, and with term-born controls.
Main Results:
- Preterm children with DCD (n=21) exhibited significantly lower scores in visual processing and praxis compared to preterm children without DCD and term controls.
- Specific deficits were noted in design copying and constructive/sequencing praxis for preterm children with DCD.
- No significant differences were found in tactile sensitivity or kinaesthetic processing between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder in extremely preterm children is associated with impaired visual processing and motor planning (praxis).
- These motor dysfunctions may stem from underlying cognitive processing challenges.
- Early identification and intervention for visual-motor and praxis difficulties are crucial for preterm children.
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