The Effect of 8 Weeks Selected Physical Exercises on the Development of Fundamental movement and Cognitive Skills in 8 to 10 Years Old Girls with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Based on some problems in gross movement’s skills (fundamental skills) some students with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) play weaker from their peers. They spend more energy when play. It seems essential to recognize it on time and adopt a supportive and suitable treatment for these students. There is evidence that the effectiveness of exercise training confirms in improvement of coordination, balance, and sensory– perceptual function on children with DCD, but small research has been done on the types of perceptual–motor exercises that can help children with DCD to improve their cognitive and motor skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of some selected physical exercises on the development of fundamental and cognitive skills on these students.

This study was a quasi–experimental, pre– and posttest design. A total of 30 participants were in the study and were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. One of the criteria for entering the subjects was to gain score from 15 to 46 in the DCD questionnaire based on the American psychological association. The experimental group performed 24 sessions of selected physical exercises. The study variables included locomotor fundamental skills (run, hop, gallop, leap, horizontal jump and slide), object control (striking a stationary ball, stationary dribble, catch, kick, overhead throw, under hand roll), stability skills (static and dynamic balance) and cognitive skills (reaction and delay time, error, problem solving time). All dependent variables were measured before and after introduction of independent variable (exercise training). Test of gross motor development second edition (TGMD2) was used to evaluate locomotor and object control fundamental skills. Stability skills, the validity of this test has been reported 96% and the reliability of this test has been reported at 85% in the locomotor subtest and 78% in the object control subtest. The stability skills were evaluated by static equilibrium test and dynamic star balance test, the interrater reliability ICC of static equilibrium test has been reported more than 0/80 and the interrater reliability ICC of dynamic star balance test 0.82–0.96. Cognitive skill was measured by London tower test, the validity of this problem–solving test, which was performed by using a computer, has been reported 76%.

Data analysis was performed using Shapiro–Wilk, Leven, homogeneity of slope regression and covariance test. Results indicated a significance difference from pretest to posttest in experimental group. Exercises training improved locomotor fundamental skills (p<0.001), object control (p<0.001), stability skills (p<0.001) and cognitive skills (p<0.001) in children with DCD. The effect size calculated on motor variables showed that more than 90 percent of the difference between the experimental and control groups in the post test was related to exercise training intervention in the experimental group, while the effect size of exercise interventions in cognitive skills justifies about 50% of the differences between experimental and control groups. However, no significance difference was observed in control group from pretest to posttest.

Since there were positive effects of exercises on the motor– sensory function in the students with developmental coordination disorder, therefore we could claim that the motor and physical treatments had an effective rule on the development of motor disorder among these students and an on time treatment can prevent from the next consequences or more social cost. Finally, these students can educate and do their daily jobs like their peers.