Active and Passive Touch in Developmentally Dyspraxic and Normal Boys

Abstract

Twenty-four male children—12 developmentally dyspraxic and 12 normal control children—ranging in age from 6 through 8 years were tested using an object recognition test developed to assess active and passive touch in children. The test was an adapted version of one developed by Gibson (1962) to assess active and passive touch in normal adults. It was hypothesized that dyspraxic boys would perform more poorly than normal boys on tasks of active touch and on tasks of passive touch. It was hypothesized also that the differences between dyspraxic and normal boys would be greater on active than on passive touch tasks, because active touch is a more complex process, which involves relating active, sequential movements. Analysis of the data indicates that the developmentally dyspraxic boys performed significantly more poorly than normal males on both active and passive touch tasks. These results are consistent with other studies that report that children with perceptual-motor and learning problems display deficits in tactile functioning. The study did not support the second hypothesis, that there would be a significant group-by-task interaction such that the differences between the dyspraxic and normal boys would be greater on active than on passive touch tasks.