Developmental Coordination Disorder in Uzbekistan preschool children. Effects of a motor skill training program

Abstract

Coordination difficulties have a widespread negative effect on children's lives in the various contexts of their daily activity. These difficulties, especially in the developmental coordination disorder (DCD) condition, continue into adulthood if there is no intervention, through appropriate programs, to help children overcome them. As a section of composing an update of the motor skill training programs in children with DCD according to gender, a systematic review of intervention studies in this domain, emphasizing gender differences, was made. This study aimed to (i) systematically review the available literature on the effect of motor intervention programs in children with DCD with a focus on gender differences (study 1). The effect of a motor skill training program in children with DCD considering their gender was investigated (study 2). Midline crossing behavior after an intervention program for children with DCD was explored (study 3). A follow-up research was applied to determine the sustainability of a given ten-week motor skill training program for children with DCD, to analyze skill changes from pre-test to post-intervention and to a retention-test, after 18 months without intervention (study 4). Outcomes of study 1 indicated that although activity- oriented and body function-oriented interventions can effectively affect motor function and skills in children with DCD, only a few studies indicated equal outcomes of the effectiveness of programs on both girls and boys. The effectiveness of the intervention program investigated in study 2 revealed to be similar across both genders. Study 3 showed that after intervention, DCD children in the experimental group (EG) showed fewer right-hand reaches in the contralateral space, but they improved their right-hand reaches in the midline, displaying a similar behavior to typical development children. Motor competence measurement from post-intervention to the retention test (after 18 months) indicated a decline in all the three motor domains of MABC-2. However, for the EG, results were better compared to those from the pre-test. It can be concluded that a 10-week motor skill training program can favorably change motor competence of children with DCD and this change lasts even after 18 months without the intervention.