Associations Between Manual Dexterity and Language Ability in School-Age Children

We aimed to determine whether individual differences in manual dexterity are associated with specific language skills (nonword repetition, receptive vocabulary, and receptive grammar) after controlling for nonverbal abilities (visual-spatial working memory and intelligence).

We assessed manual dexterity using the pegboard task and examined relationships with verbal and nonverbal abilities in a diverse community sample of children (N = 63, mean age = 8;2 [year;months], range: 6;0-10;8) varying in language ability (Comprehensive Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition core language score M = 105, range: 62-126; Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2003).

Correlational analyses indicated significant relationships between manual dexterity and performance on tests of nonword repetition, receptive vocabulary, receptive grammar, and nonverbal intelligence, after controlling for multiple comparisons. In regression analyses, manual dexterity remained a significant predictor of nonword repetition after controlling for nonverbal abilities and age. In contrast, manual dexterity was no longer significant in predicting receptive vocabulary or grammar when nonverbal intelligence was included as a factor in the model.

These findings build on prior work implicating poor fine motor control in child language disorders by identifying a robust relationship between manual dexterity and nonword repetition. Relationships between manual dexterity and receptive language abilities appear to be indirect and mediated by nonword repetition. For clinicians, the results underscore the importance of screening children with poor fine motor control for concomitant language impairments.