Motor Performance and Activities of Daily Living in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Abstract

Background: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are developmental deficiencies that arise due to the damage of the central nervous system in the prenatal, natal, or postnatal period. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the motor performance and activities of daily living (ADL) and examine their relationship in children with NDDs who do not have physical disabilities. Methods: A total of 107 children who were diagnosed with NDDs, without physical disabilities, and 36 healthy peers between the ages of 4.5 years to 14.5 were included in this study. The subjects' fine and gross motor skills were assessed with Bruininks-Oseretsky test of Motor Performance and ADL with WeeFIM (Functional Independence Measure). Results: Motor performance and ADL were found to be affected in children with NDDs compared to their healthy peers even though they did not have a physical disability. Moderate or low correlations were found amongst 12 of 14 sub-tests of motor performance assessing various activities such as running, balance, coordination, and dexterity, as well as all parameters of WeeFIM in children with NDDs. Children with NDDs with better motor performance had less problems in ADL, were more independent, and had better social cognition and communication skills. Conclusions: Impairments found in motor performance and ADL show that even though children with NDDs, without physical disabilities, seem to be physically unaffected, it can be clearly seen that these children may have problems in coordination, motor control, and balance affecting their daily lives. Consequently, by improving motor performance, independence in ADL may be improved. In the light of these assessments, subjects with NDD's must be included in physiotherapy and rehabilitation and occupational therapy programs in order to address the problems in motor performance and insufficiencies in ADL.

Sandsack Physical Activity Increasing Balance Score in Children with Down Syndrome

“…In addition to static movements in the physical activity of the sandsack, there is dynamic movement of the ability to maintain body position in changing COG, dynamic balance causes automatic postural adjustment to maintain posture and stability in various conditions and movements (Volkan-Yazici et al, 2018). As is done in the physical activity of this sandsack, the movement of shifting and kicking positions, walking from point to point and jumping and walking backward is done sequentially Jurnal Keterapian Fisik Vol.…”

Participation in Everyday Activities of Children with and without Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study in Spain

“…Neurodevelopmental conditions that affect a child’s typical development are present in approximately 9% of school-aged children in Spain [ 9 ]. These children usually face more performance difficulties and participation restrictions than their TD peers, which might have further consequences on their emotional and psychological wellbeing [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. To the best of our knowledge, no studies on NDDs have so far compared participation restrictions in the different daily contexts in Spanish children with and without NDDs.…”

“…Our findings in these contexts are in line with previous studies that explored children from Europe, America, and Asia, which is of particular interest given that self-care and home maintenance activities may be different between cultures. Self-care and instrumental activities are one of the most problematic contexts for children with ASDs, ADHD, and DCD [ 21 , 24 , 33 , 35 ]. In addition, van der Linde et al found that children with DCD both participated significantly less and performed significantly worse than TD children in self-care activities, while daily performance and participation were interrelated as performance predicted participation [ 23 ].…”

“…While exploring the level of participation in several leisure and social activities, Kaljača et al found that children with neurodevelopmental disabilities not only participated significantly less than TD children, but also that their activities were mainly stereotypical and highly structured, and were mostly supervised by parents [ 61 ]. Social cognition has been reported to be limited in these children as well, and it is associated with motor parameters, which further restricts daily participation [ 20 , 24 , 62 ]. Similarly, in the study conducted by Kreider et al, the social networks and participation with others of children with ASDs, ADHD, and learning disorders were explored [ 63 ].…”

“…Children with NDDs face significant difficulties in activity performance from early childhood onward, particularly in self-care activities, play and mobility, social cognition, and instrumental activities [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. However, not only activity performance is restricted in these children but daily participation is compromised as well.…”