None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Children with Developmental coordination disorder (also known as Dyspraxia) or DCD have considerable difficulties undertaking essential everyday tasks requiring movement (e.g., using utensils, toothbrushing). Up to 50% of children with DCD also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), causing difficulties with attention and hyperactivity, which can further worsen these movement problems. Recent research by our team suggests pairing physical activity with a combination of action observation (AO; when one observes and imitates movement) and motor imagery (MI; when one mentally rehearses movement without physically performing that action) may help children with DCD perform activities of daily living (ADLs) better. While promising, these benefits have only been observed in a narrow range of motor tasks. Therefore, the question remains as to whether these effects can be observed across a broader range of difficult ADLs (e.g., balance and walking). Further, no research has investigated if AO+MI training, which may be mentally demanding, can also help improve movement in children with concurrent DCD+ADHD, as ADHD may impact their ability to focus on, and use, these techniques. The current study will address these issues, which are important for determining the generalizability of AO+MI effects in DCD, and their usefulness across the broader DCD population. Additionally, while AO+MI training appears to improve movement ability in children with DCD, not all children benefit from this intervention to the same degree. There are currently few accurate and affordable methods to help clinicians identify children who are more or less likely to benefit from these interventions. This significantly impacts treatment planning for children with movement problems. The second aim of this project will address this gap by using a newly developed electroencephalography (EEG) method to determine whether neural communication in the brain can predict the effectiveness of AO+MI training in those with DCD, and if these results differ for those with DCD+ADHD. This will help improve the development of interventions, treatment planning, and quality of life for these vulnerable children. It is hypothesised that task completion time and performance errors will significantly reduce at the progress-test, post-test and retention test compared to pre-test for the intervention group, in comparison to the physical activity only group. Further, it is hypothesised that alpha frequency bands will predict treatment outcomes in the intervention group.
Interventions
Action Observation (AO) and Motor Imagery (MI) Intervention Group: Participants will use a tablet device to watch videos of a child model performing four different movements (cup stacking, tying shoelaces, walking on a curved balance beam, and throwing balls at a target). They will be instructed to observe the action while imagining the associated sensations of that action, and then physically practicing the movement. This will be repeated for 8 minutes per movement, four times a week, for four
Action Observation (AO) and Motor Imagery (MI) Intervention Group: Participants will use a tablet device to watch videos of a child model performing four different movements (cup stacking, tying shoelaces, walking on a curved balance beam, and throwing balls at a target). They will be instructed to observe the action while imagining the associated sensations of that action, and then physically practicing the movement. This will be repeated for 8 minutes per movement, four times a week, for four weeks. The time spent watching each video and physically practicing the movement may vary between children depending on their motor ability - however, in total, they will spend approximately 2-3 minutes watching the videos, and 5-6minutes physically practicing each movement, within the allocated 8 minute period. Participants will not be instructed to practice each movement a certain number of times. They will keep alternating between watching the video and practicing the movement until the end of 8 minutes. They will not be instructed to take any breaks between each movement. Each session will take approximately 32 minutes, for a total of 128 minutes per week (i.e., 32 minutes x 4 sessions per week). The videos will be created by the research team and filmed from a first/third-person perspective with a typically developing child aged 7 -12 years as the model. The participants will use specific equipment, including the tablet device, provided for the intervention. The intervention will be delivered by the parents/guardians of the child and will be conducted at the participant's home. Parents and children will receive a booklet that includes study-specific questions asking parents/guardians and children to document their performance throughout the intervention (e.g., how motivated they were to complete the training, number of completions/practices they did etc.). Members of the research team will regularly contact the parents via email and zoom video call to promote adherence and answer questions that may arise.
Sponsors
Deakin University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
7 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Children with a prior diagnosis or subclinical levels of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) or co-occurring DCD+Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) aged 7-12 years.
Exclusion criteria
Children cannot have a diagnosis of any other neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., Autism, cerebral palsy) or neurological condition. Children cannot have or indicate typical motor development
Outcome results
None listed