Children with developmental coordination disorder demonstrate a spatial mismatch when estimating coincident-timing ability with tools. (January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Caçola, Priscila; Ibana, Melvin; Ricard, Mark; Gabbard, Carl
• Is Part Of: Research in developmental disabilities. Volume 48(2016:Jan.)
• Page Start: 124
• Page End: 131
• Publication Date: 2016-01
• Subjects: Developmental Coordination Disorder -- Tool -- Coincident timing -- Interception -- Motor imagery; Developmental disabilities -- Periodicals; Developmentally disabled -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Developmentally disabled children -- Education -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Developmental Disabilities -- Periodicals; Disabled -- Periodicals; Mental Retardation -- rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Personnes atteintes de troubles du développement -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; Enfants atteints de troubles du développement -- Éducation -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; Développement, Troubles du -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; 616.858800
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2015.10.021
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0891-4222

Abstract

Highlights: Children with DCD have more difficulty estimating reach distance with arm and tools. Children with DCD overestimate interception twice as much when targets move toward them. Children with DCD underestimate three times as much as TD children when targets move away from them. Children with DCD demonstrate a spatial mismatch in dynamic action representations with and without tools. Abstract: Coincident timing or interception ability can be defined as the capacity to precisely time sensory input and motor output. This study compared accuracy of typically developing (TD) children and those with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) on a task involving estimation of coincident timing with their arm and various tool lengths. Forty-eight (48) participants performed two experiments where they imagined intercepting a target moving toward (Experiment 1) and target moving away (Experiment 2) from them in 5 conditions with their arm and tool lengths: arm, 10, 20, 30, and 40 cm. In Experiment 1, the DCD group overestimated interception points approximately twice as much as the TD group, and both groups overestimated consistently regardless of the tool used. Results for Experiment 2 revealed that those with DCD underestimated about three times as much as the TD group, with the exception of when no tool was used. Overall, these results indicate that children with DCD are less accurate with estimation of coincident-timing; which might in part explain their difficulties with common motor activities such as catching a ball or striking a baseball pitch.