Kinaesthetic sensitivity and motor performance of children with developmental co-ordination disorder

Earlier research has demonstrated a number of variables contributing to motor co-ordination problems (clumsiness) in children. The present study examined the contribution of kinaesthetic sensitivity in determining level of motor co-ordination in children. 20 children with significant movement problems were compared with 20 control children matched for age, gender and Verbal IQ. The kinaesthetic perception and memory test from Laszlo and Bairstow's Kinaesthetic Sensitivity test was a powerful measure for distinguishing clumsy from control children. The authors' passive kinaesthetic acuity test did not distinguish the two groups, but did so when administered actively. These results indicate that future research on clumsiness in children should involve more complex tasks, as problems associated with the central translation processes may cause the co-ordination difficulties seen in clumsy children.