title: Cross-sectional study of executive functioning in children with developmental coordination disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have multiple impairments in movement, in learning, and in the activities of daily living. Studies from other countries have associated these impairments with cognitive function, particularly executive functioning, but these findings have not been confirmed in China.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Compare the executive functioning of children with DCD with that of normal children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was administered to 39 children who met DSM-IV criteria of DCD identified at the Seventh People's Hospital of Hangzhou from March 2008 through March 2010. The WCST was also administered to a control group of 39 randomly selected children from one elementary school in Hangzhou.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total responses on the WCST and the number of non-perseverative errors for cases and controls were similar, but cases had significantly more errors, more perseverative responses and more perseverative errors; moreover, they completed fewer categories than controls and required more trials to complete the first category.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study confirms previous studies which show significantly impaired executive functioning in patients with DCD. Collectively, these studies suggest that the deficits in executive functioning of children with DCD significantly impair their intellectual and social development.
authors.affiliation: The Fifth People's Hospital of Ruian, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: The Seventh People's Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Guangzheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: The Seventh People's Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jianfei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi