A longitudinal study on gross motor development in children with learning disorders

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Motor Skill Acquisition
• Learning Disorders

Background:

• Gross motor skills are crucial for children's development and participation in physical activities.
• Children with learning disorders (LD) may experience challenges in various developmental domains, including motor skills.
• Understanding motor skill development in children with LD is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the longitudinal development of gross motor skills in children with LD aged 7-11.
• To identify sex differences in gross motor skill development among children with LD.
• To compare the gross motor skill performance of children with LD to typically developing peers.

Main Methods:

• A 3-year longitudinal study involving 56 children with LD (7-11 years old).
• Gross motor skills assessed annually using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2.
• Comparison with motor scores from 253 typically developing children.

Main Results:

• Ball skills in children with LD improved with age, particularly between 7 and 9 years (p<.001).
• Locomotor skills in children with LD did not show significant improvement over time (p=.50).
• Boys with LD consistently scored higher in ball skills than girls (p=.002).
• Typically developing children outperformed children with LD in both skill types, except for locomotor skills at age 7.
• By age 11, children with LD lagged 4 years in locomotor skills and 3 years in ball skills compared to peers.

Conclusions:

• Children with LD exhibit a delayed development of ball skills during primary school years.
• Significant lags in both locomotor and ball skills persist in 11-year-old children with LD compared to typically developing children.
• These findings highlight the need for early identification and support for gross motor skill development in children with LD.