Graphomotor skills in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD): Handwriting and learning a new letter

Hum Mov Sci. 2015 Aug:42:318-32. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2015.03.008. Epub 2015 Apr 11.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze handwriting difficulties in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and investigate the hypothesis that a deficit in procedural learning could help to explain them. The experimental set-up was designed to compare the performances of children with DCD with those of a non-DCD group on tasks that rely on motor learning in different ways, namely handwriting and learning a new letter. Ten children with DCD and 10 non-DCD children, aged 8-10 years, were asked to perform handwriting tasks (letter/word/sentence; normal/fast), and a learning task (new letter) on a graphic tablet. The BHK concise assessment scale for children's handwriting was used to evaluate their handwriting quality. Results showed that both the handwriting and learning tasks differentiated between the groups. Furthermore, when speed or length constraints were added, handwriting was more impaired in children with DCD than in non-DCD children. Greater intra-individual variability was observed in the group of children with DCD, arguing in favor of a deficit in motor pattern stabilization. The results of this study could support both the hypothesis of a deficit in procedural learning and the hypothesis of neuromotor noise in DCD.

Keywords: Graphic tablet; Handwriting; Intra-individual variability; Motor learning.

Publication types

  • Congress
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Female
  • Handwriting*
  • Humans
  • Learning*
  • Male
  • Motor Skills Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Motor Skills Disorders / rehabilitation*
  • Physical Therapy Modalities
  • Psychomotor Performance*
  • Reaction Time
  • Reference Values
  • Retention, Psychology