title: The effect of a motor skills training program in the improvement of practiced and non-practiced tasks performance in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a group-based task oriented skills training program on motor and physical ability for children with DCD. It was also investigated if there was an effect on fine motor and handwriting tasks that were not specifically practiced during the training program. Forty-one children aged 6-10years took part in this study. Children were assigned to three groups: an experimental training group consisting of 14 children with DCD, a control non-training group consisted of 13 children with DCD and a control non-training group consisting of 14 typically developed children. The measurements included were, the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC), the Modified Agility Test (MAT), the Triple Hop Distance (THD), the 5 Jump-test (5JT) and the Handwriting Performance Test. All measures were administered pre and post an 8-week training program. The results showed that 10 children of the DCD training-group improved their performance in MABC test, attaining a score above the 15th percentile after their participation in the training program. DCD training-group showed a significant improvement on all cluster scores (manual dexterity (t (13)=5.3, p<.001), ball skills (t (13)=2.73, p<.05) and balance (t (13)=5.13, p<.001). Significant performance improvements were also found in MAT, THD, 5JT (t (13)=-4.55; p<.01), handwriting quality (t (12)=-2.73; p<.05) and speed (t (12)=-4.2; p<.01) after the training program. In conclusion, improvement in both practiced and non-practiced skills, in the training program, may reflect improvement in motor skill but also transfer to other skills.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Neuropediatry UR.0805, HediChaker Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Sfax, Tunisia. Electronic address: faicalfarhat@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Faiçal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farhat
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Neuropediatry UR.0805, HediChaker Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hsairi
authors.affiliation: High Institut of Sports Sciences, UR EM2S-ISSEPS, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Hamza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Baati
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Old Main Building, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: B C M
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Smits-Engelsman
authors.affiliation: University of Sfax, Functional Exploration Service, Habib Bourguiba Hospital of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Kaouthar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masmoudi
authors.affiliation: Service de pseudo psychiatrie, Hedi Chaker Hospital Faculty of medicine, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Radhouane
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mchirgui
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Neuropediatry UR.0805, HediChaker Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Chahnez
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Triki
authors.affiliation: High Institut of Sports Sciences, UR EM2S-ISSEPS, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Wassim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Moalla
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005794:Generalization, Response; D006236:Handwriting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D014163:Transfer, Psychology; D014416:Tunisia
keywords: Developmental coordination disorder; Handwriting; Motor skill training; Physical ability