Article

We aimed to clarify the underpinnings of widespread visuomotor deficits in
very preterm children. METHOD: Fifty-eight very preterm children (26 males, 32
females; mean [SD] age 7 y 6 mo [5 mo], gestational age 29.2 wks [1.6];
birthweight 1237 g [336]), recruited from a tertiary level neonatal intensive
care unit, and 64 age-matched, comparison children born at term (28 males, 36
females; mean age [SD] 7 y 8 mo [7 mo]) participated. IQ was measured using a
short form of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (3rd edition). A
research diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) was defined as a
score below the 15th centile on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children.
Visuomotor performance was assessed using a computerized task, in which children
followed a predictable (structured condition) or an unpredictable (non-structured
condition) trail on a touch screen using their index finger. RESULTS: Forty-six
per cent of the very preterm children had a research diagnosis of DCD, compared
with 16% of children born at term (p<0.001, odds ratio 4.69 [95% CI 2.01-10.99]).
No group difference in visuomotor performance was present for the structured
condition. In the non-structured condition, children born very preterm with and
without a research diagnosis of DCD had poorer visuomotor performance than those
born at term. INTERPRETATION: The predictability of the required motor response
plays a crucial role in visuomotor deficits in very preterm children, regardless
of DCD status.
CI - (c) The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (c) 2013 Mac Keith
Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS