Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 8, 2026
Measurements of Motor Function and Other Clinical Outcome Parameters in Ambulant Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Published on: January 12, 2019
Effects of exercise interventions on motor coordination in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD): A
Changhui Peng1, Jinrong He1, Kai Xu2
1School of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China.
Background:
Exercise interventions are recognized as an established therapeutic approach for children with DCD. This review aims to quantify the effectiveness of exercise interventions and examine the influence of potential moderating factors on outcomes.
Methods:
We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and EBSCO from inception to November 1, 2025. All studies were rigorously screened based on predefined eligibility criteria. Risk of bias was assessed using ROB 2 and ROBINS-I. Effect sizes were calculated as Hedges' g (g) and pooled under a random-effects model, and potential moderators were examined through subgroup and regression analyses.
Results:
A total of 40 studies involving 1655 participants were included, of which 24 were eligible for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that exercise interventions significantly enhanced motor coordination (g = 1.06, 95 % CI [0.57, 1.55], I² = 86.7 %), fine motor skills (g = 0.50, 95 % CI [0.24, 0.76], I² = 32.4 %), hand-eye coordination (g = 1.12, 95 % CI [0.70, 1.54], I² = 71.6 %), and balance (g = 0.54, 95 % CI [0.20, 0.88], I² = 77.3 %) in children with DCD. Subgroup analyses identified intervention setting, intervention approach, and study design as key moderating factors influencing the outcomes. Meta-regression analysis revealed a significant negative association between improvements in fine motor skills and both intervention duration (β = -0.0728, I² = 0 %) and the total number of sessions (β = -0.0129, I² = 0 %).
Conclusion:
This study confirms the efficacy of exercise interventions in enhancing motor coordination, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and balance in children with DCD. More rigorous experimental designs are needed to compare the effects of different intervention approaches and protocols, and to determine the optimal intervention dosage.
