Cross-lateralisation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and motor skill performance

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Motor Control

Background:

• Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit motor difficulties.
• The impact of specific lateralisation patterns (crossed vs. uncrossed) on motor performance in ADHD is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how crossed (mixed preference) versus uncrossed (same-side preference) lateralisation affects motor performance in children with ADHD.
• To compare motor skills between cross-lateralised ADHD, uncross-lateralised ADHD, and typically developing (TD) control groups.

Main Methods:

• Identified right-handed children with ADHD exhibiting cross-lateralisation (n=29) and uncross-lateralisation (n=31).
• Included an uncross-lateralised typically developing (TD) control group (n=32).
• Assessed fine and gross motor skills using seven validated tasks with preferred and non-preferred limbs.

Main Results:

• Male cross-lateralised children with ADHD showed significantly poorer performance in spiral tracing (p<0.01) and dot filling (p<0.05) fine motor tasks compared to controls.
• No significant differences were found in female participants or gross motor tasks.
• Results indicate sex-related differences in how ADHD and lateralisation interact.

Conclusions:

• Cross-lateralisation may specifically impair complex fine motor skills in male children with ADHD.
• ADHD manifestation and its motor correlates can differ between sexes.
• Considering both hand and foot preference is crucial for developing effective motor interventions for children with ADHD.