How do i fit through that gap? Navigation through apertures in adults with and without developmental coordination...

Area of Science:

• Motor Control
• Developmental Psychology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Navigating everyday environments involves complex motor skills, including adapting movements to obstacles.
• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) significantly impacts motor skill acquisition and participation in daily activities.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the specific challenges individuals with DCD face when judging actions and adapting movements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how adults with DCD make action judgments and movement adaptations when navigating apertures.
• To compare the movement strategies of adults with DCD and typically developing (TD) individuals in obstacle negotiation.

Main Methods:

• Fifteen adults with DCD and 15 TD adults navigated apertures scaled to their body size (0.9-2.1 times shoulder width).
• Spatial and temporal movement characteristics were recorded during the approach and aperture crossing phases.
• Analysis focused on shoulder rotation decisions, lateral trunk movement, and approach variability.

Main Results:

• Adults with DCD exhibited a greater tendency to rotate shoulders for larger apertures than TD adults, relative to body size.
• Differences in shoulder rotation scaling disappeared when accounting for lateral trunk movement and approach variability.
• Adults with DCD initiated movement adaptations earlier when shoulder rotation was necessary, approaching apertures differently.

Conclusions:

• Adults with DCD employ adaptive strategies to compensate for motor difficulties when navigating obstacles.
• These findings highlight the complex interplay of movement adjustments and compensatory mechanisms in DCD.
• Understanding these strategies can inform interventions to improve safety and participation in motor activities for individuals with DCD.