Cross-sectional study of executive functioning in children with developmental coordination disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is characterized by impairments in motor skills, learning, and daily living activities.
• Previous international research links DCD to cognitive deficits, especially in executive functioning.
• These cognitive links in children with DCD have not been extensively studied in China.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the executive functioning of children diagnosed with DCD to that of typically developing children.
• To investigate potential cognitive differences in executive functions between these two groups.

Main Methods:

• The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was administered to 39 children diagnosed with DCD.
• A control group of 39 typically developing children from an elementary school in Hangzhou participated.
• Data was collected between March 2008 and March 2010.

Main Results:

• While overall responses and non-perseverative errors were similar, children with DCD made significantly more errors overall.
• Children with DCD exhibited more perseverative errors and required more trials to complete the initial category on the WCST.
• Fewer categories were successfully completed by children with DCD compared to the control group.

Conclusions:

• This study confirms significantly impaired executive functioning in children with DCD, consistent with international findings.
• Executive functioning deficits in DCD appear to negatively impact intellectual and social development.
• Further research is warranted to understand the full scope of cognitive challenges in DCD.