Ethnic differences in sensorimotor processing: a longitudinal study using the Born in Bradford cohort

Abstract Sensorimotor processing is a fundamental neurodevelopmental skill that underpins many higher order cognitive abilities. Early ethnic differences in motor behaviour have been found. However, the reported disparities have involved subjective measures and can be explained via differences in socioeconomic status or cultural biases. For the first time, to our knowledge, we were able to investigate ethnic population differences longitudinally with objective kinematic measures of sensorimotor processing. Sensorimotor processing was investigated in 1340 children from the ‘Born in Bradford’ cohort. Data were collected at two timepoints (age 4–5 years and 7–9 years). Even after controlling for socioeconomic differences, the Pakistani-heritage population demonstrated quantitatively lower levels of sensorimotor processing relative to children of White British heritage at both timepoints. These differences were equivalent to six months’ developmental progress. However, ethnic differences decreased over time. The decreases over time suggest that sensorimotor skill deficits can be mitigated through education and daily learning activities. Our findings suggest sensorimotor measures can provide a behavioural marker of neurodevelopmental status and have potential for identifying children who need early learning support. The ethnic differences are not well explained by socioeconomic factors, with genetic and environmental differences providing a potential hypothesis for future testing.