Timing and force control during a sequential tapping task in children with and without motor coordination problems

Abstract

In the present study a sequential tapping task was used to compare the planning and execution of finger tapping sequences in children with motor coordination problems (clumsy children) and control children. Fifteen children with significant movement problems were compared to 15 control children matched on age, sex, and Verbal IQ. The clumsy children took significantly longer to initiate the movement sequence (i.e., reaction time). During the execution of the sequence, the clumsy children left their finger on the tap plate for significantly longer for each tap than the control children. No significant differences were found between the groups for the time taken between the taps, or mean average force. Past research has indicated that the source of timing problems in clumsy children may lie in a central timing mechanism possibly the cerebellum, whereas the evidence from the present study indicates an impairment of the peripheral processes may be a more important contributor to timing deficits in clumsy children. (JINS, 1999, 5, 320–329.)