title: Procedural learning and automatization process in children with developmental coordination disorder and/or developmental dyslexia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is increasing evidence to suggest that developmental dyslexia (DD) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD) actually form part of a broader disorder. Their frequent association could be justified by a deficit of the procedural memory system, that subtends many of the cognitive, motor and linguistic abilities that are impaired in both DD and DCD. However, studies of procedural learning in these two disorders have yielded divergent results, and in any case no studies have so far addressed the issue of automatization (dual-task paradigm).
  
  
  METHODS
  We administered a finger tapping task to participants aged 8-12 years (19 DCD, 18 DD, and 22 with both DD and DCD) to explore procedural learning and automatic movements in these three groups of children, comparing motor performances at the prelearning stage, after 2 weeks of training, and in a post-training dual-task condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  First, results indicated that all the children were able to learn a sequence of movements and even automatize their movements. Second, they revealed between-groups differences in procedural/automatization learning abilities, setting the DCD group apart from the other two. Third, contrary to our expectations concerning comorbidity, they suggested that the DD+DCD association does not have an additional impact on behavioral performances.
authors.affiliation: Inserm, Imagerie Cérébrale et Handicaps Neurologiques UMR 825, CHU Purpan, Place du Dr. Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France; Université de Toulouse III, UPS, Imagerie Cérébrale et Handicaps Neurologiques UMR 825, CHU Purpan, Place du Dr. Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France. Electronic address: maelle.biotteau@inserm.fr.
authors.forename: Maëlle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biotteau
authors.affiliation: Inserm, Imagerie Cérébrale et Handicaps Neurologiques UMR 825, CHU Purpan, Place du Dr. Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France; Université de Toulouse III, UPS, Imagerie Cérébrale et Handicaps Neurologiques UMR 825, CHU Purpan, Place du Dr. Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France; Hôpital des Enfants, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, CHU Purpan, Place du Dr. Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France. Electronic address: chaix.y@chu-toulouse.fr.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chaix
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse III, UPS, PRISSMH-EA4561, 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France. Electronic address: jean-michel.albaret@univ-tlse3.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Albaret
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001332:Automatism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D012691:Serial Learning / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Automaticity; Comorbidity; Dual-task; Learning disorder; Procedural memory