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Developmental coordination impairments in adulthood.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>11/2003
<mark>Journal</mark>Human Movement Science
Issue number4-5
Volume22
Number of pages27
Pages (from-to)433-459
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

The aim of this study was to extend the understanding of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) into adulthood. We recruited 19 adults aged between 18 and 65 who had received diagnoses of DCD or dyspraxia or who self-reported as having motor impairments consistent with a history of DCD, together with age- and gender-matched controls. Participants were given tests of manual dexterity, handwriting, construction, obstacle avoidance, dynamic balance, static balance, dual task performance, ball skills, reaction time, movement time and sequencing. As a group, adults with DCD performed more poorly than controls across all tasks. Slowness and variability of movement was a pervasive feature of their performance and many individuals had considerable problems with sequencing and with dual task performance. A discriminant function analysis conducted using six performance measures correctly classified participants as car drivers or non-drivers. Adults do retain motor difficulties and these can exclude them from important activities of daily living.