O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a aptidão física de crianças com Transtorno do Desenvolvimento da Coordenação (TDC) nos diferentes graus de comprometimento; moderado (TDCm) e severo (TDCs), e um grupo sem TDC (sTDC). Participaram deste estudo 63 crianças entre 6-10 anos de idade da cidade de Manaus/Brasil. Três grupos foram formados e distribuídos assim: 21 crianças com TDCm, 21 com TDCs segundo os critérios diagnóstico do DMS-IV e 21 crianças sTDC. Os componentes da aptidão física, composição corporal, força e resistência muscular, flexibilidade e resistência cardiorrespiratória foram medidos com a bateria Fitnessgram. Os resultados mostraram não haver diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os grupos em nenhum dos componentes avaliados. Quando avaliou-se os resultados por componente, de acordo com os critérios estabelecidos no Fitnessgram, foi observado que mais da metade das crianças, independentemente do grupo de classificação, atenderam às exigências motoras mínimas estabelecidas pelos critérios referenciados para a saúde, exceto no componente força e resistência muscular. Crianças com TDCm, TDCs e sTDC apresentaram níveis semelhantes de aptidão física relacionada à saúde. Dessa forma, ressaltamos que novas pesquisas sejam realizadas em especial no acompanhamento do desenvolvimento de habilidades motoras e da aptidão física observando as interações entre essas variáveis ao longo do tempo / The aim of this study was to assess the physical fitness of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in different degrees of commitment, Moderate (DCDm ) and severe (DCDs), and a group without DCD (sDCD). The study included 63 children aged 6-10 years old in the city of Manaus / Brazil. Three groups were formed and distributed as follows: 21 children with DCDm, 21 with TDCs according to the diagnostic criteria of the DMS - IV and 21 children sDCD. The components of physical fitness, body composition, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory endurance were measured with the battery Fitnessgram. The results showed no statistically significant difference between the groups in any of the evaluated components. When we evaluated the results by component, according to the criteria of Fitnessgram, was observed that more than half of all children, regardless of classification group, met the requirements established by the minimum motor criteria referenced to health except the force component and muscular endurance. Children with DCDm, TDCs and sDCD showed similar levels of physical fitness and health. Thus, we emphasize that further research be conducted in particular in monitoring the development of motor skills and physical fitness by observing the interaction between these variables over time

Une comorbidité entre les troubles neurodéveloppementaux est repérée de façon très fréquente chez les enfants d’âge scolaire. Plusieurs modèles se fondent sur l’existence de déficits sous-jacents communs pour tenter d’expliquer l’apparition concomitante de ces troubles. Afin de contribuer à une meilleure compréhension de la comorbidité entre la dyslexie et le trouble de l’acquisition de la coordination (TAC), trois recherches ont été réalisées au cours de cette thèse. Elles sont toutes basées sur l’analyse de la graphomotricité, en termes de processus et de produit. L’objectif principal de ce travail était de repérer les processus à l’œuvre dans les tâches graphomotrices qui pourraient être affectés dans ces deux troubles, tout en tenant compte des particularités de chacun. Nous avons fait l’hypothèse, en référence au modèle du déficit d’apprentissage procédural (Nicolson et Fawett, 2007), que les enfants avec des difficultés en lecture et en motricité se différencieraient de ceux sans difficulté lors d’un apprentissage graphomoteur. Les résultats montrent que la sévérité et la nature des atteintes influencent les performances des enfants pour un ensemble varié de tâches graphomotrices et pour l’apprentissage graphomoteur. L’ensemble des résultats traduit un certain nombre de particularités communes chez les enfants avec une dyslexie et/ou un TAC, au niveau de l’intégration visuo-motrice, ainsi que de l’apprentissage et de l’automatisation de gestes graphomoteurs. En outre, les travaux de cette thèse mettent en relief la pertinence de l’approche dimensionnelle pour étudier la complexité des profils d’enfants avec des troubles comorbides . / Comorbidity between neurodevelopmental disorders is frequently found in children of school age. Several models are based on the existence of common underlying disorders to try and explain the concomitant appearance of these disorders. Three studies, all based on graphomotoricity analyses in terms of the processes and products, were conducted during this thesis so as to contribute to a better understanding of comorbidity between dyslexia and developmental coordination disorder (DCD). The main objective was to identify the processes involved during graphomotoricity tasks that could be affected in these two disorders, taking into account the peculiarities of each. We hypothesised, referring to the procedural learning disorder model (Nicolson & Fawcett, 2007) that children with reading and motor difficulties would differentiate themselves from those without difficulty for graphomotor learning. enabling us to assess their reading and motor levels. Results showed that the severity and nature of the disorders influenced the children’s performance for a diverse set of graphomotricity tasks and graphomotor learning. The overall results reflected a number of common features in children with dyslexia and / or DCD, concerning visuo-motor integration, as well as graphomotor gestures in learning and automation. In addition, the studies carried out during this thesis emphasised the relevance of the dimensional approach so as to study the complexity of the profiles of children with comorbid disorders.

Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Background: For children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), the acquisition and performance of everyday visual-motor activities such as buttoning, shoe tying, cutting with scissors or writing, presents a major challenge. Regardless of the activity considered, children with DCD are typically slower and less accurate than their peers. Given the well-acknowledged difficulties of children with DCD, it is surprising to find very few research studies systematically exploring visual-motor skill acquisition and performance in children with DCD. Objective: The overall objective of this study was to systematically describe visual-motor skill acquisition and task performance in children with DCD. Methods: Twenty-four children (8 years 11 months to 12 years 11 months) were recruited for this study; 12 children with DCD, 12 children developing typically with regards to their motor skills. A computer-based aiming task completed with three different cursor controls of increasing levels of difficulty (mouse, joystick, novel controller) was designed for this study. Mixed-effect modelling and visual graph analyses were performed to describe the influence of motor ability and task difficulty on visual-motor skill acquisition and task performance. Results: Motor ability modulated the impact of task difficulty on visual-motor skill acquisition and task performance. Children with DCD were as fast and as accurate as their peers in their initial performance of the simple, well-learned task (mouse). However, they were slower and less accurate when performing the complex and novel visual-motor task. Over repeated trials, the visual-motor task performance of children with DCD improved on all tasks, even for the simple. With regard to the complex, novel task, once children with DCD understood the features of the task, their performance also improved and approached that of their peers. Conclusion: While children with DCD can generally be characterized as less accurate and slower than their peers, this characterization needs to be specified and qualified; it is probably best not applied to a well-learned task.

The most common form of nutritional deficiency worldwide is iron deficiency, which is associated with sup optimal early brain development. Literature indicates that children with a poor nutritional status during early development of the brain showed poorer cognitive functioning, deficient growth and muscle function. The first purpose of this study was to determine if iron status plays a role in motor competency. A second purpose was to determine if iron status shows an association with motor competency, behavioural characteristics and scholastic success, while a third purpose was to determine if the consumption of different teas will improve iron intake positively and consequently will improve motor development and behaviour. A test- retest research design was used in a randomised parallel study, with one group of children drinking tea and a control group drinking 'rooibos' tea. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) (Henderson & Sugden, 1992) was used to determine the DCD (Developmental co-ordination disorder) status in the group (N = 76). In this group, 45 children were classified as children with DCD. Blood samples were taken to determine the haemoglobin, ferritin and transferrin saturation levels while a 24hr recall dietary questionnaire was used to determine nutritional intakes. Descriptive statistics, t-testing, effect sizes and analysis of co-variance were used to analyse the data. With regards to the first aim of the study, the results which were analysed by means of t-testing, effect sizes and co-variance of analysis indicated that iron deficiency showed significant relationships with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). When corrected for influences other than haemoglobin on gross motor competency manual dexterity, and especially ball skills, showed significant relationships with iron deficiency. These results demonstrate the importance of proper nutrition on motor and cognitive development. With reference to the second aim of the study the assessment of children with DCD by the teachers with regard to their manual dexterity and behavioural characteristics, indicated poorer manual dexterity and more behavioural problems compared to children without DCD. The children in the DCD group was also divided into a group where the MABC-total showed improvement and their haemoglobin levels increased (n=19). This group was then compared with a group of DCD children of which the MABC total decreased and a decrease in haemoglobin was found (n=6). Although the groups were small, the results indicate that manual dexterity skills and mathematics, reading and writing was poorer in the DCD-children whose iron status decreased. No definite association between the different teas and improvement of motor development and behaviour were indicated by the results. Overall, the conclusion can be made that a relationship between iron status and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) among 9-12 year old children exist. However, it is recommended that more studies of this nature should be done on school age children to substantiate the findings of this study. Intervention studies should also be implemented where the children with depleted iron anaemia status should receive iron supplementation. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The most common form of nutritional deficiency worldwide is iron deficiency, which is associated with sup optimal early brain development. Literature indicates that children with a poor nutritional status during early development of the brain showed poorer cognitive functioning, deficient growth and muscle function. The first purpose of this study was to determine if iron status plays a role in motor competency. A second purpose was to determine if iron status shows an association with motor competency, behavioural characteristics and scholastic success, while a third purpose was to determine if the consumption of different teas will improve iron intake positively and consequently will improve motor development and behaviour. A test- retest research design was used in a randomised parallel study, with one group of children drinking tea and a control group drinking 'rooibos' tea. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) (Henderson & Sugden, 1992) was used to determine the DCD (Developmental co-ordination disorder) status in the group (N = 76). In this group, 45 children were classified as children with DCD. Blood samples were taken to determine the haemoglobin, ferritin and transferrin saturation levels while a 24hr recall dietary questionnaire was used to determine nutritional intakes. Descriptive statistics, t-testing, effect sizes and analysis of co-variance were used to analyse the data. With regards to the first aim of the study, the results which were analysed by means of t-testing, effect sizes and co-variance of analysis indicated that iron deficiency showed significant relationships with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). When corrected for influences other than haemoglobin on gross motor competency manual dexterity, and especially ball skills, showed significant relationships with iron deficiency. These results demonstrate the importance of proper nutrition on motor and cognitive development. With reference to the second aim of the study the assessment of children with DCD by the teachers with regard to their manual dexterity and behavioural characteristics, indicated poorer manual dexterity and more behavioural problems compared to children without DCD. The children in the DCD group was also divided into a group where the MABC-total showed improvement and their haemoglobin levels increased (n=19). This group was then compared with a group of DCD children of which the MABC total decreased and a decrease in haemoglobin was found (n=6). Although the groups were small, the results indicate that manual dexterity skills and mathematics, reading and writing was poorer in the DCD-children whose iron status decreased. No definite association between the different teas and improvement of motor development and behaviour were indicated by the results. Overall, the conclusion can be made that a relationship between iron status and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) among 9-12 year old children exist. However, it is recommended that more studies of this nature should be done on school age children to substantiate the findings of this study. Intervention studies should also be implemented where the children with depleted iron anaemia status should receive iron supplementation. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) find academic and performing age-appropriate perceptual-motor skills more difficult than their peers. According to research, children classified as learning disabled often show signs of one or more syndromes of developmental disorders rather than an isolated, discrete disability. The more common learning disorders include disabilities related to verbal communication development, reading disorders, gross and fine motor dysfunction and motor hyperactivity. Attention disorders, including or excluding hyperactivity, are not considered learning disabilities in themselves. However, because attention problems can gravely interfere with school performance, they are often associated with problems concerning academic skills Literature further reveals that boys are more inclined to motor problems, learning disabilities and ADHD, compared to girls. With regards to racial diversity, limited information is available, even though some literature implies that certain racial diversities differ to some extent regarding motor problems (DCD). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between DCD, learning disabilities and ADHD of children (N = 99) in the age group 6 to 7 years in Potchefstroom in the NW province. A second purpose was to examine the differences between gender and certain racial groups in the age group 6 to 7years in Potchefstroom with regards to to DCD, learning disabilities and ADHD. Two grade one classes were randomly selected from three selected schools in the Potchefstroom district proportionally representing the different racial groups [white (n = 37), black (n = 50), Coloured (n = 12)]. In this group, 48 boys and 53 girls were evaluated with the Movement ABC (MABC) (Henderson & Sugden, 1992), the Aptitude test for school beginners (ASB) (Swart et a/., 1994), the Modified Conner's abbreviated teacher and the Taylor Hyperactivity checklist (Lowenberg & Lucas, 1999). The Statistics for Windows computer package was used for analyzing the data. The group of children without DCD showed a statistically significant higher total ASB scores than the DCD group (p ≤ 0.00). A multiple regression analysis showed a statistically significant interaction between DCD, learning disabilities and ADHD which varied between 22% and 36%. Analysis of differences in the ASB of boys and girls with and without DCD showed no significant interactions, although racial interactions (p < 0.001) were found with the DCD group (p < 0.025). Boys with DCD did not perform as well as the girls in the coordination subtest, and their ADHD totals indicate more symptoms than those of the girls. Black children's numerical skills, verbal communication and the ASB total appeared to be considerably lower than the values of the white children. Overall, the conclusion can be made that DCD has an effect on 6 to 7-year old children's learning abilities and to a lesser extent on their ADHD status. / Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Background: For children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), the acquisition and performance of everyday visual-motor activities such as buttoning, shoe tying, cutting with scissors or writing, presents a major challenge. Regardless of the activity considered, children with DCD are typically slower and less accurate than their peers. Given the well-acknowledged difficulties of children with DCD, it is surprising to find very few research studies systematically exploring visual-motor skill acquisition and performance in children with DCD. Objective: The overall objective of this study was to systematically describe visual-motor skill acquisition and task performance in children with DCD. Methods: Twenty-four children (8 years 11 months to 12 years 11 months) were recruited for this study; 12 children with DCD, 12 children developing typically with regards to their motor skills. A computer-based aiming task completed with three different cursor controls of increasing levels of difficulty (mouse, joystick, novel controller) was designed for this study. Mixed-effect modelling and visual graph analyses were performed to describe the influence of motor ability and task difficulty on visual-motor skill acquisition and task performance. Results: Motor ability modulated the impact of task difficulty on visual-motor skill acquisition and task performance. Children with DCD were as fast and as accurate as their peers in their initial performance of the simple, well-learned task (mouse). However, they were slower and less accurate when performing the complex and novel visual-motor task. Over repeated trials, the visual-motor task performance of children with DCD improved on all tasks, even for the simple. With regard to the complex, novel task, once children with DCD understood the features of the task, their performance also improved and approached that of their peers. Conclusion: While children with DCD can generally be characterized as less accurate and slower than their peers, this characterization needs to be specified and qualified; it is probably best not applied to a well-learned task.

O Transtorno Desenvolvimento da Coordenação (TDC) é um dos transtornos do neurodesenvolvimento mais prevalentes na infância, com impactos negativos no repertório motor, qualidade de vida e saúde geral das crianças. O diagnóstico dessa condição é mundialmente reconhecido pelos critérios clínicos estabelecidos pelo Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifty Edition (DSM-5), cuja versão corrente recomenda a avaliação da influência ambiental, tal como das oportunidades para aprendizagem e uso das habilidades motoras, para o diagnóstico diferencial. Além disso, o uso de instrumentos específicos de apoio diagnóstico, tanto para triagem quanto para avaliação confirmatória, é recomendado. No entanto, a influência das oportunidades de prática motora sobre os parâmetros estabelecidos para identificação deste transtorno ainda não foi explorada. Diante deste cenário, este estudo propôs investigar a influência de diferentes quantidades de prática motora na identificação de crianças com TDC. Para isso, foram recrutadas 120 crianças, com idades entre sete e 10 anos de ambos os sexos, com duas condições de desempenho motor: indicativo de TDC (ITDC - n=60) e sem indicativo de TDC (sTDC - n=60). Foram formados oito grupos, de acordo com as quantidades de prática motora oferecidas: duas sessões - ITDC2 (n=16) e sTDC2 (n=14); quatro sessões - ITDC4 (n=14) e sTDC4 (n=16); seis sessões - ITDC6 (n=16) e sTDC6 (n=14); grupos controle - ITDC0 (n=14) e sTDC0 (n=14). Para a avaliação do desempenho motor foram utilizados os instrumentos MovementBattery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2), o Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire - Brasil (DCDQ-B) e o Motor Coordination Traffic Light Questionnaire (MC-TLQ). Esses instrumentos contemplam informações que apoiam a identificação dos sintomas clínicos descritos nos critérios do DSM-5 para identificação do TDC. Os resultados referentes ao percentil total da MABC-2 indicaram que nenhum dos grupos de crianças com ITDC se aproximou do desempenho motor das sTDC. O tamanho do efeito foi similar entre a maioria dos grupos (p>=0,05), exceto entre ITDC2 e sTDC2 (p<=0,05). Resultados semelhantes foram observados na análise do escore total do DCDQ-B, no qual a diferença significante foi observada apenas entre grupos para o ITDC2 e o sTDC2 (p<=0,00) e intra-grupo no sTDC2 (p=0,01). Ao final do estudo, a prevalência de crianças que se mantiveram na condição ITDC, foi de 2,64%, enquanto 3,66% apresentaram desempenhos motores que não condizem com os critérios para a presença do TDC. A proporção entre os sexos foi de dois meninos para uma menina. Em conclusão, as diferentes quantidades de práticas motoras parecem não ter influenciado na identificação do TDC, de forma a promover conhecimento quanto à quantidade específica para concluir o diagnóstico deste transtorno. Todavia, tais resultados sugerem que há um demasiado número de crianças sendo identificadas com TDC, sem realmente portarem este transtorno. Assim, reforça-se a necessidade de continuar as investigações quanto à forma de obter informações referentes à oportunidade e prática de habilidades motoras e reforça-se ainda a necessidade de repensar os procedimentos de identificação do TDC, da padronização e normatização de instrumentos, para que estes atendam, de forma mais precisa, aos critérios diagnósticos do TDC / The Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, having negative impacts on the motor repertoire, quality of life, and general health of children. The diagnosis of this condition is globally recognized by the clinical criteria established by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM-5), whose current version recommends the evaluation of the environmental influence, the opportunities for learning, and the use of motor skills, for differential diagnosis. In addition, the use of specific instruments of diagnostic support for both screening and confirmatory evaluation is recommended. However, the influence of motor practice opportunities on the parameters established for the identification of this disorder has not been explored yet. Given this situation, this study intended to investigate the influence of different amounts of motor practice on the identification of children with DCD. Thus, 120 children aged between seven and 10 of both sexes were recruited with two motor performance conditions: indicative of DCD (DCDI - n = 60) and without DCD indicative of (wDCD - n = 60). Eight groups were formed according to the amounts of motor practice offered: two sessions - DCDI2 (n = 16) and wDCD2 (n = 14); four sessions - DCDI4 (n = 14) and wDCD4 (n = 16); six sessions - DCDI6 (n = 16) and wDCD6 (n = 14); control groups - DCDI0 (n = 14) and wDCD0 (n = 14). In order to evaluate motor performance, the following instruments were used: The Movement Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2), the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire - Brazil (DCDQ-B), and the Motor Coordination Traffic Light Questionnaire (MC-TLQ). These instruments include information that supports the identification of the clinical symptoms described in the DSM-5 criteria for identification of DCD. The results for the total percentile of MABC-2 indicated that none of the groups of children with DCDI approached the motor performance of the wDCD ones. The effect size was similar between most groups (p>=0.05), except between DCDI2 and wDCD2 (p<=0.05). Similar results were observed in the analysis of the total DCDQ-B score, in which the significant difference was only observed between groups for the DCDI2 and the wDCD2 (p<=0.00) and intragroup in the wDCD2 (p=0.01). At the end of the study, the prevalence of children who remained in the DCDI condition was 2.64%, while 3.66% presented motor performances that did not meet the criteria for the presence of DCD. The ratio between the sexes was two boys for a girl. In conclusion, the different amounts of motor practice do not seem to have influenced the identification of DCD in a way that promotes knowledge about the specific amount to conclude the diagnosis of this disorder. However, such results suggest that too many children are being identified with DCD without actually having this disorder. Thus, the need to continue the investigations into how to obtain information regarding the opportunity and practice of motor skills is reinforced as well as the need to rethink the procedures for identification of DCD, and the standardization of instruments so that these meet the diagnostic criteria of DCD more precisely

Denna studie handlar om en för många okänd diagnos vid namn Developmental CoordinationDisorder (DCD) eller i svenska uttryckt motorisk koordinationsstörning. Syftet är att undersökakunskapsläget kring DCD bland lärare i idrott och hälsa och specialpedagoger samt beskriva arbetetför att skapa en tillgänglig lärmiljö i ämnet idrott och hälsa för dessa elever. Den teoretiskautgångspunkten bottnar i den humanekologiska teoribildningen och närmare bestämt i en modell vidnamn M.A.T.C.H vilken utformats för att i skolan kunna bedriva ett främjande arbete för elever medDCD. M.A.T.C.H fungerar även som ett analysverktyg i tolkningen av empirin. Studien är avkvantitativ och kvalitativ karaktär och metoden som användes för datainsamling är enkät. Enkätenbesvarades av 56 lärare i idrott och hälsa och 60 specialpedagoger. Resultaten visar att knappt hälftenav respondenterna har hört talas om DCD och att 25 % eller färre anser att de har kunskap kring hurDCD påverkar ett barns motorik. Gällande kunskap kring hur undervisningen kan anpassas efter elevermed DCD anser knappt hälften av lärarna och färre än 10 % av specialpedagogerna att de har detta.Vidare visar studien att de flesta lärare gör anpassningar för dessa elever och att dessa framförallthandlar om nivåanpassningar. Gällande specialpedagogernas delaktighet i anpassningarna uppger färreän hälften att de bidragit i detta arbete. Resultatet visar också att färre än hälften av lärarna väljer attkontakta en specialpedagog för handledning i arbetet. Orsakerna till varför många inte gör detförklarar de med att specialpedagogerna ofta har brist på kunskap och tid. Knappt hälften avspecialpedagogerna uppger att de ger handledning till lärarna och beskriver bland annat att det krävsbättre organisatoriska förutsättningar. I resultatdiskussionen förs ett resonemang kring hur ökadkunskap och samverkan kan bidra till att utveckla arbetet för att möta elever med DCD. Slutsatsernaformuleras i begreppen kunskap och samverkan. En ökad kunskap kring DCD samt en närmresamverkan mellan lärare i idrott och hälsa och specialpedagoger kan fördjupa det arbete som redangörs gällande anpassningar samt främja en tidig upptäckt av elever med DCD.