Atypical procedural learning skills in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Motor Control

Background:

• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is characterized by motor difficulties.
• The procedural learning deficit hypothesis suggests impaired sequence learning in DCD.
• Global performance factors like reaction time (RTs) and variability need consideration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the procedural learning deficit hypothesis in children with DCD.
• To assess sequence learning skills while controlling for global performance measures.
• To compare procedural learning between children with DCD and typically developing (TD) peers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a serial reaction time task (SRTT) with 31 children with DCD and 31 TD children.
• Intermixed sequential and random trial conditions across five training epochs.
• Analyzed Sequence-Specific Learning Index (SSLI) and Global Performance Index (GPI) using ANOVAs, controlling for RTs.

Main Results:

• Children with DCD exhibited a global reduction in sequence-specific learning (SSLI) compared to TD peers.
• After normalizing RTs, DCD group showed significantly reduced sequence learning skills.
• Both groups could discriminate between sequential and random trials (Group x Condition interaction on GPI).

Conclusions:

• Developmental Coordination Disorder is associated with reduced procedural learning skills, independent of global performance.
• Assessing learning skills in DCD requires careful consideration of general functioning.
• Findings support the procedural learning deficit hypothesis in DCD.