Gender and age differences in the presentation of at-risk or probable Developmental Coordination Disorder in adults

Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also called Dyspraxia, is a common Neurodevelopmental Disorder (NDD) that affects motor coordination with a marked impact on both academic and day-to-day living activities. It is increasingly clear that NDDs such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder may present differently in males and females, resulting in under diagnoses of women and girls. Aims: To consider age and gender differences in the presentation of at-risk and probable DCD. Methods and Procedures: A sample of 1,476 adults aged 16-60 years were surveyed online using the Adult DCD Checklist. Outcomes and Results: Women with at-risk ( n = 1 8 6 , 1 6 . 6 % ) or probable DCD (n=6 4 3 , 5 6 . 6 % ) reported significantly greater gross motor and non-motor difficulties and significantly greater impact on activities and participation, whereas men with at-risk (n= 58,16.3%) or probable (n=177,49.9%), DCD reported significantly greater fine motor difficulties. Emerging adults (aged 16-25 years) with at-risk (n=65,14.3%) or probable (293,64.3%) DCD reported significantly greater fine motor and non-motor difficulties than adults (aged 26-60+ years) with at-risk (n=179,17.5%) or probable (n=518, 50.8%) DCD. Conclusions and Implications: Both age and gender differences were found in the presentation of at-risk and probable DCD in adults. This may have implications for the development of future DCD assessment tools and for the training of front-line staff who may encounter individuals with DCD throughout their lives, including teachers, doctors and employers’ Human Resources and Occupational Health staff

Executive difficulties in Developmental Coordination Disorder: Methodological issues and future directions

Motor skills and cognition have often been studied separately, but there is increasing understanding of the close relationship between these abilities over development. Motor coordination difficulties are central to the diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and recent evidence suggests that certain cognitive processes, known as ‘executive functions’, may be affected in individuals with this neurodevelopmental disorder. In this article, we review the research concerning executive functions in DCD, considering behavioural, neuroimaging and questionnaire studies of a range of processes. We highlight methodological issues relating to our current understanding of executive functioning difficulties in DCD, including problems with interpretation of results based on the tasks used. We suggest future directions for research in this area, including the relationship of laboratory research to interventions within ‘real-world’ contexts

Gender and age differences in the presentation of at-risk or probable Developmental Coordination Disorder in adults.

Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also called Dyspraxia, is a common Neurodevelopmental Disorder (NDD) that affects motor coordination with a marked impact on both academic and day-to-day living activities. It is increasingly clear that NDDs such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder may present differently in males and females, resulting in under diagnoses of women and girls. Aims: To consider age and gender differences in the presentation of at-risk and probable DCD. Methods and Procedures: A sample of 1,476 adults aged 16-60 years were surveyed online using the Adult DCD Checklist. Outcomes and Results: Women with at-risk ( n = 1 8 6 , 1 6 . 6 % ) or probable DCD (n=6 4 3 , 5 6 . 6 % ) reported significantly greater gross motor and non-motor difficulties and significantly greater impact on activities and participation, whereas men with at-risk (n= 58,16.3%) or probable (n=177,49.9%), DCD reported significantly greater fine motor difficulties. Emerging adults (aged 16-25 years) with at-risk (n=65,14.3%) or probable (293,64.3%) DCD reported significantly greater fine motor and non-motor difficulties than adults (aged 26-60+ years) with at-risk (n=179,17.5%) or probable (n=518, 50.8%) DCD. Conclusions and Implications: Both age and gender differences were found in the presentation of at-risk and probable DCD in adults. This may have implications for the development of future DCD assessment tools and for the training of front-line staff who may encounter individuals with DCD throughout their lives, including teachers, doctors and employers’ Human Resources and Occupational Health staff

Does ‘Animal Fun’ improve aiming and catching, and balance skills in young children?

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Aim: The Animal Fun program, a universal early intervention program that aims to promote the motor skills and social-emotional development of young children, has shown to improve overall motor proficiency and social and behavioural outcomes. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the program's impact on children's aiming and catching, and balance skills. Methods: A cluster randomised control trial was employed, with six intervention and six control (following normal curriculum) schools. A total sample of 511 children (257 boys and 254 girls), aged 4–6 years presented at pre-test. Children were tested across three time points, pre-test, post intervention (six months later) and follow-up (18 months after pre-test), using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 Aiming and Catching, and Balance tasks. The study also tested for potential moderators including pre-test motor proficiency, age, gender, and cognitive performance. Results: Participation in Animal Fun improved children's one leg balance at post-test and follow-up compared to control children, regardless of pre-test motor proficiency, age, gender, or pre-test cognitive performance. Participation in Animal Fun also improved throwing skills for those children with poorer motor proficiency compared to the controls with poorer motor performance. Interestingly, it was found that the control group's catching skills improved more than the intervention group at follow up. Conclusions: The study provides some promising results regarding the efficacy of the Animal Fun program in improving one-leg balance for all children, and throwing skills for those children with poorer motor proficiency, while also suggesting potential confounding factors, such as maturational issues and other individual factors (e.g., a child's participation in extracurricular activity)