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Published on: March 21, 2019
Nature of spatial coupling in children with and without developmental coordination disorder in ball catching
Eryk P Przysucha1, Brian K V Maraj
1School of Kinesiology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) struggle with bimanual coordination tasks, catching fewer balls. Their movement strategies differ significantly from typically developing peers, impacting motor skill development.
Area of Science:
- Movement science
- Developmental psychology
- Pediatric neurology
Background:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects motor skills in children.
- Understanding limb coordination is crucial for diagnosing and managing DCD.
- Bimanual tasks, like catching, reveal complexities in motor control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate intra- and interlimb coordination in boys with and without DCD.
- To compare motor strategies used in a two-handed catching task.
- To identify differences in spatial and temporal organization of movements.
Main Methods:
- Ten boys with DCD and ten typically developing boys participated.
- A two-handed catching task was used to assess coordination.
- Analysis focused on intralimb and interlimb coordination strategies.
Main Results:
- Children with DCD caught significantly fewer balls (56%) compared to controls (93%).
- Intralimb coordination differed: DCD group segmented actions, controls coupled/decoupled spatial relations.
- Interlimb coordination showed comparable spatial symmetry, but individual movement patterns varied greatly.
Conclusions:
- Spatial, and potentially temporal, organization is impaired in some children with DCD.
- Diverse movement patterns highlight the heterogeneity of motor issues in DCD.
- Findings contribute to understanding motor control deficits in DCD and inform interventions.
Abstract:
The nature of intra- and interlimb (bimanual) coordination was examined in ten boys with (M = 10.5 years, SD = 1.0) and without DCD (M = 10.8 years, SD = .9) in a two-handed catching task. Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) caught significantly fewer balls (MDCD = 56%, SD = 17.6 vs. MnoDCD = 93%, SD = 7.5), and both groups solved the "degrees of freedom problem" differently at intralimb level of coordination. Typically developing children coupled and decoupled the respective spatial relations, whereas the majority of children with DCD segmented their actions. At interlimb level, both groups exhibited a comparable degree of spatial symmetry. However, individual profiles also showed that children with varying degrees of movement issues exhibited movement patterns that were qualitatively and functionally diverse. Overall, in the context of previous research on interlimb coordination it appears that spatial, in addition to temporal organization, may be jeopardized in at least some children with DCD.
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