Auditory-motor synchronization in developmental coordination disorder: Effects on interlimb coordination during...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) impacts motor skills like walking and running.
• Children with DCD show poorer interlimb coordination and higher variability than typically developing children (TDC).
• Auditory rhythm synchronization benefits adult gait, but its effect on children with DCD is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate auditory-motor synchronization and interlimb coordination in children with and without DCD during walking and running.
• To compare synchronization consistency, interlimb coordination, and spatiotemporal variability between groups.
• To assess the impact of different metronome structures (discrete vs. continuous) on these parameters.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one children with DCD and 23 TDC, aged 8-12 years, participated.
• Participants walked and ran to discrete and continuous auditory metronomes.
• Primary outcome: synchronization consistency; Secondary outcomes: interlimb coordination and spatiotemporal variability.

Main Results:

• Children with DCD had significantly lower synchronization consistency than TDC, particularly when running.
• Interlimb coordination differed between groups during running, unaffected by auditory synchronization.
• Spatiotemporal variability was higher in DCD, especially during running; continuous metronomes reduced cadence variability.

Conclusions:

• Children with DCD exhibit impaired auditory-motor synchronization during gait, more pronounced during running.
• Auditory-motor synchronization did not improve interlimb coordination in children with DCD.
• Continuous metronomes show potential for reducing cadence variability in children with DCD during gait.