The Effect of Combined Core Stability and Coordination Exercises on the Motor Skills of Intellectual Disability With DCD

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is common among intellectual disability children that can worsen motor problems, especially motor skills. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of combining core stability exercises with coordination exercises on motor proficiency of intellectual disability children with DCD.

The population was boys with intellectual disability and DCD studying in Golestan School of Tabriz randomly that were divided into two groups of 15 subjects in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. Motor skills were evaluated using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Short Form in the pre- and post-test. The experimental group performed three sessions (every week) of 60 minutes of combined core stability with coordination training for eight weeks. SPSS v. 21, dependent t-test, and analysis of covariance at the significance level of P<0.05 were used for statistical analysis.

Comparing the means of the two groups showed a positive significant difference in running speed and agility (P=0.001), balance (P=0.001), two-way coordination (P=0.001), strength (P=0.001), upper limb coordination (P=0.001), response speed (P=0.001), speed motor vision control (P=0.001), upper limb agility (P=0.001), and the overall gross and fine motor skills scores (P=0.001) and the combined score of the short scale (P=0.001).

The results indicated that combining core stability with a coordination training program can be used to enhance the motor skills of DCD children with intellectual disabilities. Thus, sports coaches and experts, and specialists in other related fields are recommended to use these exercises to enhance the gross and fine motor skills of students with intellectual disabilities, especially those with DCDs.