Frederik Deconinck

Is developmental coordination disorder a motor imagery deficit

This study investigated the notion that children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) show a reduced capacity of internally simulating movements of their own body or motor imagery. Using a mental rotation paradigm the contribution of hand posture to laterality/mirror judgments of bodily and alphanumeric stimuli was studied in 13 children with DCD and 13 matched typically developing (TD) children. Children were asked to judge whether the stimulus on display, rotated over –90°, –30°, +30°, or +90°, was a right or left hand or a canonical or mirror-reversed letter. Analysis of accuracy (ACC) and response times (RTs) demonstrated that children with DCD were generally slower and made more errors. RTs to letter stimuli were faster than those to hand stimuli in both DCD and TD children. For both groups RTs profiles were influenced by the orientation of the stimulus, showing longer response times for larger rotations. Clockwise rotations of right hands resulted in slower judgments than did counterclockwise rotations, whereas the reverse was true for left hands. Moreover, the results also indicate a contribution of hand posture to the laterality judgments of hands, with longer RTs when the posture of the participants hands was opposite to the posture of the hands on display. Importantly, these effects that suggest an imagery strategy engaging motor processes were present in both groups. Apparently, the children with DCD of the present study did rely on motor imagery to solve the mental rotation task; however, their judgments seem to be compromised by a less well-defined internal model.

Differences in gait complexity and variability between children with and without developmental coordination disorder.

We used elliptical Fourier analysis (EFA) to examine potential differences in the complexity and variability of gait of children with (N=10) and without (N=10) Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Children with DCD generated movement patters with larger variability and complexity than typically developing (TD) children. In addition, children with DCD exhibited greater asymmetry in their movement patterns compared to TD children. Our results suggest that children with DCD have significantly greater difficulty producing consistent movement patterns both across their left and right legs and over repeated strides. EFA techniques show promise for distinguishing between different groups of individuals.

Relative age, biological maturation and anaerobic characteristics in elite youth soccer players.

Being relatively older and having an advanced biological maturation status have been associated with increased likelihood of selection in young elite soccer players. The aims of the study were to investigate the presence of a relative age effect (RAE) and the influence of birth quarter on anthropometry, biological maturity and anaerobic parameters in 374 elite Belgian youth soccer players. The sample was divided into 3 age groups, each subdivided into 4 birth quarters (BQ). Players had their APHV estimated and height, weight, SBJ, CMJ, sprint 5 and 30 m were assessed. Overall, more players were born in BQ1 (42.3%) compared with players born in BQ4 (13.7%). Further, MANCOVA revealed no differences in all parameters between the 4 BQs, controlled for age and APHV. These results suggest that relatively youngest players can offset the RAE if they enter puberty earlier. Furthermore, the results demonstrated possible differences between BQ1 and BQ4, suggesting that caution is necessary when estimating differences between players because of large discrepancies between statistical and practical significance. These findings also show that coaches should develop realistic expectations of the physical abilities of younger players and these expectations should be made in the context of biological characteristics rather than chronological age-based standards.

The perception of prototypical motion: synchronization is enhanced with quantitatively morphed gestures of musical conductors.

Aesthetic theories have long suggested perceptual advantages for prototypical exemplars of a given class of objects or events. Empirical evidence confirmed that morphed (quantitatively averaged) human faces, musical interpretations, and human voices are preferred over most individual ones. In this study, biological human motion was morphed and tested for prototype effects in task-specific actions, perceptual judgments, and kinematic characteristics. A motion capture system recorded the movements of six novice and six expert orchestral conductors while they performed typical beat patterns in time with a metronome. Point-light representations of individual conductors and morphs of experts, novices, and a grand average morph were generated. In a repeated-measures sensorimotor synchronization paradigm, participants tapped a finger in time with the conducting and provided evaluations of the gestures characteristics. Quantitatively averaged conducting motion resulted in reduced jerk (i.e., smoother motion) as well as higher synchronization accuracy and tapping consistency. Perceived beat clarity and quality of the gestures correlated with the timing of vertical acceleration in the conductors movements. While gestures of individual conductors were perceived to be more expressive, morphs appeared more conventional. Thus, due to smoother spatiotemporal profiles of morphs, perception and action advantages were observed for prototypes that are presumably based both on motor resonance mechanisms and cognitive representations.

The effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention in pre-schoolers with motor problems depends on gender but not environmental context.

This study evaluated the effect of a 10-week fundamental motor skill programme in pre-schoolers with motor problems. Alongside the general effect of the intervention, we also explored possible gender differences and the role of the environmental context (living community, socio-economic status, and recreational space inside/outside the house). The intervention group (n=47; 20 ♂ and 27 ♀) received twenty 60-min motor skill sessions (2 per week) in addition to the regular physical education curriculum for pre-schoolers; the control group (n=46; 21 ♂ and 25 ♀) did not receive additional practice. General motor competence, and locomotor and object control subscales, were assessed before and after the intervention using the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd edition (TGMD-2). Data regarding environmental factors were gathered through a questionnaire. A Group×Gender×Time ANOVA revealed that the intervention group benefited significantly from the intervention and scored better than the control group at the post-test for general motor competence and both sub-categories (locomotor and object control skill). Moreover, the intervention programme was found to be effective in helping 49% of the intervention group to achieve an average motor skill level, according to the TGMD-2 norms, while a further decline in motor competence was observed in the control group. Interestingly, the effect appeared to be gender-specific, since object control skill improved only in girls of the intervention group. Considering the environmental context, none of the above-mentioned factors was found to have an influence on the effectiveness of the intervention. The present study highlights the need for an early motor skill programme with a gender-specific approach in order to help low skilled boys and girls master a diverse set of motor skills.

Assessing fundamental motor skills in Belgian children aged 3-8 years highlights differences to US reference sample.

This study aimed to understand the fundamental motor skills (FMS) of Belgian children using the process‐oriented Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition (TGMD‐2) and to investigate the suitability of using the United States (USA) test norms in Belgium.

Convergent and Divergent Validity Between the KTK and MOT 4-6 Motor Tests in Early Childhood.

The aim of this study was to investigate the convergent and divergent validity between the Body Coordination Test for Children (KTK) and the Motor Proficiency Test for 4- to 6-Year-Old Children (MOT 4-6). A total of 638 children (5-6 yr old) took part in the study. The results showed a moderately positive association between the total scores of both tests (rs = .63). Moreover, the KTK total score correlated more highly with the MOT 4-6 gross motor score than with the MOT 4-6 fine motor score (rs = .62 vs. .32). Levels of agreement were moderate when identifying children with moderate or severe motor problems and low at best when detecting children with higher motor-competence levels. This study provides evidence of convergent and divergent validity between the KTK and MOT 4-6. However, given the moderate to low levels of agreement, either measurement may lead to possible categorization errors. Therefore, it is recommended that childrens motor competence not be judged based on the result of a single test.

Gender recognition depends on type of movement and motor skill. Analyzing and perceiving biological motion in musical and nonmusical tasks.

Gender recognition in point-light displays was investigated with regard to body morphology cues and motion cues of human motion performed with different levels of technical skill. Gestures of male and female orchestral conductors were recorded with a motion capture system while they conducted excerpts from a Mendelssohn string symphony to musicians. Point-light displays of conductors were presented to observers under the following conditions: visual-only, auditory-only, audiovisual, and two non-conducting conditions (walking and static images). Observers distinguished between male and female conductors in gait and static images, but not in visual-only and auditory-only conducting conditions. Across all conductors, gender recognition for audiovisual stimuli was better than chance, yet significantly less reliable than for gait. Separate analyses for two groups of conductors indicated an expertise effect in that novice conductors gender was perceived above chance level for visual-only and audiovisual conducting, while skilled conducting gestures of experts did not afford gender-specific cues. In these conditions, participants may have ignored the body morphology cues that led to correct judgments for static images. Results point to a response bias such that conductors were more often judged to be male. Thus judgment accuracy depended both on the conductors level of expertise as well as on the observers concepts, suggesting that perceivable differences between men and women may diminish for highly trained movements of experienced individuals.

Weight loss, behavioral change, and structural neuroplasticity in children with obesity through a multidisciplinary treatment program

This study evaluated the effect of a multidisciplinary treatment program for children with obesity (OB) on motor competence, executive functioning (EF), and brain structure. Nineteen children with OB (7–11 years), who attended a multidisciplinary treatment program consisting of diet restriction, cognitive behavioral therapy, and physical activity, were compared with an age‐matched control group of 24 children with a healthy weight (HW), who did not follow any treatment. For both groups, anthropometric measurements and tests of motor competence and EF were administered twice, with 5 months between pretest and posttest. Additionally, children’s brain structure was assessed by performing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at the pretest and posttest, which included a T1 anatomical scan, diffusion MRI scan, and magnetization transfer imaging scan. Compared to HW controls, children with OB lost a considerable amount of their body mass (pu2009≤u2009.001) and significantly improved their balance skills (pu2009≤u2009.001), while no transfer effects of the program were observed for EF. Furthermore, the program resulted in a significant increase in total (pu2009≤u2009.001) and cerebellar (pu2009≤u2009.001) gray matter volume in children with OB, while no change was observed in the HW controls. Finally, only weak to moderate (nonsignificant) correlations could be observed between structural brain alterations, weight‐related changes, and behavioral improvements. Altogether, this is the first longitudinal study showing behavioral and structural brain alterations in response to a multidisciplinary weight loss program for children with OB. Our findings support the need for multidimensional intervention (and prevention) measures for children with OB to deal with this multifactorial health problem.

Cross-cultural comparison of fundamental motor skills in children from Belgium and the United States

This is a conference abstract. It was presented at the North American Society for the Psychology nof Sport and Physical Activity nMontreal, Quebec nJune 15–18, 2016.This is a conference abstract. It was presented at the North American Society for the Psychology n of Sport and Physical Activity n Montreal, Quebec n June 15–18, 2016.Keynotes, Lectures, and Awards .......................................................................................................................S1 Symposia ...............................................................................................................................................................S5 Free Communications: Verbal and Posters Motor Development .........................................................................................................................................................S22 Motor Learning and Control...........................................................................................................................................S41 Sport and Exercise Psychology .......................................................................................................................................S73