Fine motor skill automatization and working memory in children with and without potential fine motor impairments: An...

The present study explored fine motor skill automatization and working memory in kindergarten children with and without potential fine motor impairments. For both groups, lower performance was expected in a cognitive-motor dual-task compared to single-tasks. Children with potential fine motor impairments were expected to show higher dual-task costs (indicating lower automatization) and lower working memory performance compared to children without potential fine motor impairments.

The sample included 18 kindergarten children (mean age M = 67.17 months, SD = 4.34 months) with potential fine motor impairments (scoring at or below the 9th percentile of the manual dexterity scale of the Movement ABC-2; Petermann, 2011) and 36 children scoring above the 9th percentile of the manual dexterity scale of the Movement ABC-2 (mean age M = 67.56 months; SD = 3.74). All children completed a fine motor task (trail drawing) and a working memory task (digit span backwards) in single- and dual-task conditions.

Results showed an overall lower cognitive but not fine motor performance in the dual-task condition compared to the single-task condition. Overall, the group scoring above the 9th percentile showed a lower error-to-length ratio and higher working memory performance than the group with potential fine motor impairments. The dual-task costs did not differ between the groups.

Although the potential fine motor impaired children did not show an automatization deficit, they might be at risk of academic problems due to their lower fine motor and working memory performance. Implications for school and interventions are discussed.