Motor competence difficulties and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among secondary students

Abstract

A high proportion of children with Attention problems (ADHD) experience motor competence problems. The present study sought to compare the motor competence between a group of ADHD students and a normative sample before and after controlling for motor coordination problems, and check if there are differences between the group with ADHD and the group with DT, depending on the presence or not of the DCD concurrent with the ADHD.  A total of 22 children with ADHD combined type (ADHD-CT; 12–13 years, SD 0.7, 16 males, 6 females) and 23 age-matched typically developing children with no movement difficulties (12-13 years, SD 0.7 16 males, 7 females) participated in this study. Motor coordination was measured using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd Edition (MABC-2). ADHD symptoms were assessed by the school’s Department of Psychology.The ADHD diagnosis is based on  diagnostic criteria established by the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5), and the application of the following behavioral scales and evaluation of executive functions have been followed: Child Behavior Checklist for ages; Behavior Ratting Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF); Scales for the Evaluation of ADHD (EDAH). Based on the MABC-2 score (percentile score ≤ 5th), ADHD children were classified into two groups: co-occurring DCD/ADHD and ADHD group. Results showed that children with ADHD and typically developing (TD) children showed big individual differences on all motor skill areas and on overall percentile scores. Thirteen children with ADHD were delayed, and three were at risk for motor delays. Only four TD children were at risk for motor delays. DCD/ADHD group scored significantly lower than the TD group across all motor skill areas, while ADHD group scored lower than the TD group only on manual dexterity.