title: Motor performance and haptic perception in preschool boys with specific impairment of expressive language.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate motor performance and haptic object recognition (HOR) in 5-year-old boys with minor to moderate specific impairment of expressive language (expressive-SLI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight boys with expressive-SLI and 26 boys with typical language development as controls were recruited from ordinary kindergartens. An assessment of the voluntary isometric force production and relaxation capacity of the leg extensor muscles, manual dexterity, ball skills, balance and HOR was performed and the results were compared with those for age-matched control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reaction times to voluntary contraction and relaxation of the leg extensor muscles as well as manual dexterity did not differ significantly in the measured groups. Boys with expressive-SLI demonstrated poorer results in ball skills (p < 0.01), balance (p < 0.01), less leg extensors strength (p < 0.05) and made considerably more (p < 0.001) errors in haptic perception test when compared to controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Deviations in gross-motor performance and haptic perception are very common in children with minor to moderate expressive-SLI, being embodied especially in less muscle strength of lower extremities, poorer ball skills, balance and HOR.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Exercise Biology and Physiotherapy, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. roomet.viira@ut.ee
authors.forename: Iti
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Müürsepp
authors.forename: Herje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aibast
authors.forename: Mati
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pääsuke
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology*