Publication details
Pohybová koordinace při chytání předmětu u předškolních dětí jako indikátor vývoje motoriky - a multiple case study.
| Title in English | Motor coordination during object catching as an indicator of motor development in preschool children: a pilot multiple case study. |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
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| Description | Bimanual catching is an interceptive task demanding accurate integration of feedforward and feedback motor control, mechanisms that develop gradually between ages 4 and 7. Children at risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) typically exhibit lower movement velocities and delayed onset. This study aimed to compare upper-limb kinematic parameters in children with typical development (TD) and those at risk of DCD during a bimanual pendulum-catching task under two temporal constraints. Methods: Totally were assessment 4 boys: 6.5-Year-Old TD and 6.5-Year-Old risk of DCD, 4.5-Year-Old TD and 4.5-Year-Old at riks of DCD. In this multiple case study were recorded movements of Upper limb using three synchronized high-speed cameras. Kinematic analysis focused on peak and average velocity, time to peak velocity, and interlimb variability. Catching accuracy was defined as stopping the pendulum at 0°; deviations >36.5° were misses. The number of attempts required to achieve ten valid trials served as an indicator of control stability. Participants were stratified into TD and at-risk groups based on the MABC-2. The task involved catching a pendulum under short (750 ms) and long (1500 ms) conditions. Group differences were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test, and interlimb differences using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: 4.5-Year-Old Participants: The 4.5-year-old TD participant displayed significantly higher velocities than the at-risk participant across trials (p < 0.01). The TD child exhibited significant interlimb asymmetry in average velocity only during the short task (p = 0.022). Conversely, the 4.5-year-old at-risk participant consistently showed lower velocities and rigid interlimb symmetry with no significant lateral differences. Regarding stability, the TD child required fewer attempts (10 short / 11 long) compared to the at-risk child (15 short / 13 long), who committed frequent errors under pressure. The 6.5-year-old typically developing (TD) participant demonstrated a 5657clear lateral preference for the Left Upper Limb (LUL). The LUL exhibited consistently higher peak and average velocities than the ri Right Upper Limb (RUL) across both the short (p < 0.01) and long (p < 0.01) conditions. In the short condition, the TD child also showed significant temporal asymmetry (time to peak velocity, p = 0.036), indicating flexible interlimb decoupling under increased temporal constraints. In contrast, the 6.5-year-old at-risk participant demonstrated a compensatory preference for RUL, producing higher velocities with the RUL. However, despite this velocity asymmetry, the child exhibited rigid temporal symmetry in both the long (p = 0.074) and short (p = 0.185) conditions, showing no functional differentiation in time to peak velocity. Thus, the observed asymmetry reflected an inefficient compensatory strategy rather than adaptive lateralization. Performance stability further differentiated the groups: the TD child completed 10 successful trials in 10 attempts, whereas the at-risk child required 12 attempts in both conditions. Conclusion: Typically developing children demonstrated signs of progressive maturation of feedforward control, characterized by functional asymmetry and high performance stability. In contrast, at-risk children exhibited rigid temporal symmetry and reduced stability under constraints. Deficits in the at-risk child primarily reflect disrupted interlimb coordination and ineffective scaling of limb contributions, rather than a fundamental limitation in generating movement velocity |
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