title: Sensorimotor function in preschool-aged children with expressive language disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to evaluate functional motor performance and haptic object recognition in 5-year-old children with mild expressive language disorder (ELD) in comparison with age- and gender-matched healthy children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were classified by speech-language pathologist using The Reynell Developmental Language Scales III and Boehm Test of Basic Concepts: Preschool as children with mild ELD (n=29, incl. 23 boys and 6 girls) and children with typical language development as controls (n=29, incl. 23 boys and 6 girls). The children were examined for manual dexterity, ball skills, static and dynamic balance by Movement-ABC, haptic object recognition (HOR), hand-grip strength (HGS) and vertical jumping performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with mild ELD demonstrated significantly higher scores (i.e., inferior performance) in all subtests of M-ABC (all p values <0.05), in haptic object recognition (p<0.01) and vertical jumping height (p<0.05) compared to controls. However, no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) emerged from HGS. Boys with mild ELD demonstrated higher results in impairment score (p<0.001), ball skills (p<0.01) and balance (p<0.01) of M-ABC, as well as in HOR (p<0.05). Girls with mild ELD showed higher impairment score (p<0.05) with lower percentile (p<0.05) in M-ABC, indicating inferior motor performance, and lower HGS for the non-dominant hand (p<0.05). Seven out of 29 (24.1%) children with mild ELD had definite or borderline motor difficulties, while only one child in control group (3.4%) demonstrated borderline motor difficulties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with mild expressive language disorder do not perform as well as controls in tests of functional motor skills, but their results in tests demanding maximal muscle force generation are in level with typically developing children. Boys and girls with mild ELD demonstrated higher impairment scores in M-ABC, indicating the need to follow their overall development more closely.
authors.affiliation: University of Tartu, Institute of Exercise Biology and Physiotherapy, Ujula 4, 51008 Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: iti.muursepp@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Iti
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Müürsepp
authors.affiliation: University of Tartu, Institute of Exercise Biology and Physiotherapy, Ujula 4, 51008 Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: herje.aibast@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Herje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aibast
authors.affiliation: University of Tartu, Institute of Exercise Biology and Physiotherapy, Ujula 4, 51008 Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: Helena.Gapeyeva@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gapeyeva
authors.affiliation: University of Tartu, Institute of Exercise Biology and Physiotherapy, Ujula 4, 51008 Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: mati.paasuke@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Mati
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pääsuke
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013236:Stereognosis / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Motor performance; Motor skills; Muscle strength; Perception; Specific language impairment