Dyspraxias in specific motor areas in children with Developmental Coordination Disorders (DCD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Dyspraxias are neurodevelopmental disorders that affect one or more areas of motor development and can be expressed in different ways in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The aim was to identify dyspraxia in specific motor areas in children with DCD and ADHD. Children (6-10 years old) were recruited from ten Brazilian public schools. The sample consisted of 49 children with ADHD and 11 with DCD. Additionally, 180 children with typical development (TD) were included as controls. The Motor Development Scale was used to identify dyspraxia in specific motor areas. Our findings revealed lower general motor quotient results in children with DCD and with ADHD when compared with TD children. More specifically, the ADHD group showed lower scores in perceptive domains compared to the DCD and TD groups. In the coordinative and proprioceptive areas, the DCD group showed lower scores than the ADHD and TD groups. These data suggest that dyspraxia acts in different motor areas for children with ADHD and DCD. We conclude that specific motor dysfunctions facilitate understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders, can contribute to differential diagnosis, and favour the development of motor intervention programs.