Search Results

We investigated whether children with suspected Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD⁺) demonstrate different physical fitness levels compared with their normal peers (DCD⁻). Randomly recruited Greek children (n = 177) were assessed for body mass index (BMI), flexibility (SR), vertical jump (VJ), hand strength (HS), 40m dash, aerobic power, and motor proficiency. ANCOVA revealed a motor proficiency (i.e., DCD group) effect for BMI (p < .01), VJ (p < .01), and 40m speed (p < .01), with DCD⁺ children demonstrating lower values than DCD⁻. Differences between DCD⁺ and DCD⁻ were also obtained in log-transformed HS (p < .01). These findings suggest that intervention strategies for managing DCD should also aim at physical fitness increases.

This study investigated landing patterns of children aged 7–9 years with either developmental coordination disorder (DCD) or without coordination problems (NC). Initially, 16 DCD and 15 NC children were videotaped performing two-foot landings from a height of 21.5 cm onto a force platform sampling at 500 Hz. Each landing was videotaped at 60 Hz. Regression modeling of the data identified that 72% of peak maximum loading force was explained by landing time, knee angle at touchdown, and hip joint range of motion. Dis-criminant function analysis using landing force, landing time and lower limb joint kinematic variables reliably separated the groups. In the second part, 12 DCD and 10 NC children participated in 6 weekly landing lessons. The only significant adjustment produced by the program was a decrease in the range of motion at the hip in response to instructions to look straight ahead and sit into the landing.

It is not known whether children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have lower cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) than children without the disorder, or whether this relationship varies by age and gender. These issues are examined using a cross-sectional assessment of children 9-14 years of age (N = 549). Participants were screened for DCD using the short form Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP-SF). A BOTMP-SF age-adjusted standard score at or below the 10th percentile rank on the BOTMP-SF was required to classify a diagnosis for probable DCD. CRF was determined from each participant’s predicted peak-aerobic power using the Léger 20-m shuttle-run test. Children with DCD report lower CRF than children without the disorder and are more likely to be in a high-risk group (≤ 20th percentile in peak VO₂). Moreover, 70% of boys with DCD scored at or below the 20th percentile in peak VO₂. Further research in a laboratory setting should be conducted to confirm these findings.

This study examined developmental differences in children’s judgments of their physical competence. Two questionnaires were administered to 134 children, ranging in age from 8 to 13 years, to measure their perceptions of competence and the criteria they use to evaluate that competence. In addition, children’s actual physical competence was assessed through teacher evaluation. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the data revealed three major findings. First, the accuracy with which children judge their competence does increase with age. Second, the criteria children use to assess their competence is also age-dependent, with younger children showing greater preference for adult feedback and older children showing greater preference for peer comparison. Third, the criteria children use in competency judgments was found to be directly related to the accuracy of such judgments. The results of this study demonstrated the existence of developmental patterns with respect to children’s judgments of their physical competence.

Visual demonstrations have long been regarded as a critical instructional method for children’s motor skill and social-emotional development. Despite their widespread importance, skill demonstrations have often been characterized by a failure to consider age related differences in children’s cognitive and physical abilities. Similarly, the potential psychological effects of modeling on children’s behaviors in the physical domain have rarely been discussed. Thus the purpose of this paper is to review theoretical and research perspectives from the motor behavior and psychology literatures about developmental and psychological factors associated with children’s modeling of motor skills. Specifically, this paper will emphasize (a) how children perceive characteristics of a visual demonstration, (b) how they translate perceptions to actions that attempt to match the skill demonstration, and (c) how observational learning can be used to enhance self-confidence and motivation in youth. Practical implications for maximizing motor skill and psychosocial development in children are addressed in each section of the paper.

With the advent of long-term athlete development programs and early sport specialization, the training of elite athletes now spans the period of adolescence. Adolescence represents a period of physical, psychosocial and cognitive development, but also a time of physical and psychological vulnerability. Changes in skeletal and physiological attributes coincide with an increased risk of sport related injury. A window of vulnerability is shaped by the properties of the musculoskeletal system, the influence of pubertal hormones and the lag time between physical and cognitive development. This article aims to challenge the assumption of adolescence as a time of increased vigor alone, by highlighting the presence of specific vulnerabilities, and proposing that the hormonal, musculoskeletal, and neurocognitive changes of adolescence may represent intrinsic risk factors for sport related injury.

In adults, maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max) serves as a useful indicator of cardiopulmonary reserve as well as performance in endurance exercise events. Whether VO₂max can be interpreted in the same manner in children is less certain, since maximal oxygen uptake per kg body weight remains essentially stable during the growing years while endurance performance improves dramatically. Gains in ability in endurance events may be achieved through improved submaximal exercise economy, qualitative changes in oxygen delivery not indicated by VO₂max, or the development of nonaerobic factors (speed, strength). Maximal oxygen uptake in children may therefore be a less valid indicator of cardiopulmonary function, endurance capacity, and response to training than in adult subjects.

³¹phosphorous-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (³¹P-MRS) has become an extremely valuable technique to investigate changes in muscle metabolism noninvasively and in vivo. The purpose of this article is to critically review how ³¹P-MRS has contributed to current understanding of muscle metabolic function in healthy children and adolescents. In addition, an overview of the basic principles of ³¹P-MRS and its application to the study of muscle metabolism is provided and discussed in relation to child-specific methodological concerns when using this technique.