Motor function in school-aged children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Korea

Motor function critically influences daily activities and academic performance. We compared motor function in school-aged children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to that of normal children.

Participants were 58 children with ADHD [51 males, 7 females; mean age 9 years 6 months±2 years 0 months (SD)] and 70 normal controls [56 males, 14 females; mean age 9 years 2 months±1 years 7 months (SD)]. We assessed motor function with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition.

The ADHD group had a significantly lower total motor composite score (t=-9.32, p<0.001) than that of the control group. Standard scores of four motor-area composites such as fine manual control (t=-3.76, p<0.001), manual coordination (t=-6.87, p<0.001), body coordination (t=-7.14, p<0.001), and strength and agility (t=-8.54, p<0.1) were significantly lower in the ADHD group than those in the control group. Among the subtests, scores on fine motor precision, fine motor integration, manual dexterity, bilateral coordination, balance, running speed and agility, and strength were significantly lower in the ADHD group than those in the controls, whereas upper-limb coordination was not significantly different between the groups.

School-aged children with ADHD in Korea had significantly lower motor function compared to that of controls. Thus, it is suggested that appropriate target intervention for motor function is important in children with motor impairment in addition to pharmacotherapy or psychosocial therapy for improving the core symptoms.