Executive Functioning, Motor Difficulties, and Developmental Coordination Disorder

Leonard, Hayley C.; Bernardi, Marialivia; Hill, Elisabeth L.; Henry, Lucy A. · 2015 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2014.997933

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Summary

This study investigates the relationship between motor difficulties and executive functioning (EF) in children, specifically comparing those with a clinical diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) to those identified with motor difficulties (MD) via screening, against typically developing (TD) controls. The research was motivated by inconsistent prior findings regarding EF in DCD and the need to determine whether EF deficits are specific to the clinical disorder or present in broader populations with motor impairments. Additionally, the study aimed to address methodological issues in previous research, such as task impurity and the confounding effects of co-occurring conditions like ADHD. The researchers recruited 23 children with DCD, 30 children with MD, and 38 TD children, aged 7–11 years. Strict exclusion criteria were applied to the DCD group to minimize comorbidities, while the MD group was identified using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2). Participants completed a comprehensive battery of EF tasks designed to minimize motor and visuospatial confounds, including measures of executive-loaded working memory, inhibition, switching, planning, and fluency. Each EF domain was assessed using both verbal and nonverbal tasks. Statistical analyses employed hierarchical multiple regression, controlling for age, IQ, reading ability, and subclinical hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. The results revealed that both the DCD and MD groups performed significantly worse than TD controls on nonverbal measures of working memory, inhibition, and fluency. The MD group also showed significant deficits in nonverbal planning compared to controls, while the DCD group’s deficit in this area did not reach statistical significance. Crucially, no significant group differences were found on any verbal EF tasks or on measures of switching. The performance profiles of the clinically diagnosed DCD group and the screened MD group were strikingly similar, indicating that motor difficulties alone, regardless of clinical status, are associated with specific nonverbal EF impairments. These findings suggest that the EF deficits observed in DCD are closely linked to visuospatial and motor processing demands rather than being unique to the clinical diagnosis. The similarity between the MD and DCD groups implies that children with undiagnosed motor difficulties may face comparable academic and functional challenges due to EF weaknesses, particularly in tasks requiring nonverbal processing. The study highlights the importance of accounting for motor and visuospatial demands in EF assessments for this population and suggests that screening for motor difficulties could identify children at risk for EF-related academic struggles who have not yet received clinical referrals.

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• executive function