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There is increased interest in the relationship between motor skills and social skills in child development, with evidence that the mechanisms underlying these behaviors may be linked. We took a cognitive approach to this problem, and examined the relationship between four specific cognitive domains: theory of mind, motor skill, action\ud understanding, and imitation. Neuroimaging and adult research suggest that action understanding and imitation are closely linked, but are somewhat independent of theory of mind and low-level motor control. Here, we test if a similar pattern is shown in child development. A sample of 101 primary school aged children with a wide ability range completed tests of IQ (Raven’s matrices), theory of mind, motor skill, action understanding, and imitation. Parents reported on their children’s social, motor and attention performance as well as developmental concerns. The results showed that action understanding and imitation correlate, with the latter having a weak link to motor control. Theory of mind was independent of the other tasks. These results imply that independent cognitive processes for social interaction (theory of mind) and for motor control can be identified in primary school age children, and challenge approaches that link all these domains together.

Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects the learning and performance of everyday motor skills. It commonly co-occurs with other 10 developmental disorders and a range of associated psycho-social impairments. Recent evidence-based guidelines on diagnosis, assessment, and intervention provide valuable information for practitioners. However these are directed primarily at German speaking countries and focus on work with children. \ud Aim: The aim of this project was to consider the application of these guidelines in the UK and to extend them for use 15 with adults with DCD. Methods: Individuals with DCD, parents, and professionals from a wide range of disciplines were invited to two workshops to discuss and debate the guidelines, to adapt them for the UK and produce dissemination materials. \ud Results: A working definition of DCD was agreed, minor revisions were made to the guidelines to reflect the UK context, an extension for adults was compiled and a series of leaflets 20 was produced to disseminate this information to health and education professionals, parents, and employers. \ud Conclusions: This work will raise awareness of the condition across different professional groups. It provides information to help those working with children and adults with DCD in the UK to assist in the process of diagnosis, assessment, and intervention.

The aim was to build a profile of motor development in infant siblings of children diagnosed with autism. Infants at high familial risk of developing autism spectrum disorder and those at low-risk were tested longitudinally between 6 and 24 months. Data were analysed from the gross and fine motor scales of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales at three age points. Low-risk and at-risk infants differed significantly on motor scales at all three visits, with significantly lower motor scores in the at-risk group evident from the age of 6 months based on parental report. Poorer gross and fine motor skills in the at-risk group were only evident on the direct standardised assessment from 12 months. Only gross motor scores were highly correlated across the two measures. A combination of standardised assessments and parental reports may therefore provide the best method for early identification of motor atypicalities in the broader autism phenotype.

Background: Children with DCD experience poor motor and psychosocial outcomes. Interventions are often limited within the health care system, and little is known about how technology might be used within schools or homes to promote the motor skills and/or psychosocial development of these children. This study aimed to evaluate whether short, regular school-based sessions of movement experience using a commercially available home video game console (Nintendo’s Wii Fit) would lead to benefits in both motor and psychosocial domains in children with DCD.\ud Methods: A randomised cross-over controlled trial of children with movement difficulties/DCD was conducted. Children were randomly assigned to an intervention (n=10) or comparison (n=8) group. The intervention group spent ten minutes thrice weekly for one month using Wii Fit during the lunch break, while the comparison group took part in their regular Jump Ahead programme. Pre- and post-intervention assessments considered motor proficiency, self-perceived ability and satisfaction and parental assessment of emotional and behavioural problems.\ud Results: Significant gains were seen in motor proficiency, the child’s perception of his/her motor ability and reported emotional well-being for many, but not all children. \ud Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence to support the use of the Wii Fit within therapeutic programmes for children with movement difficulties. This simple, popular intervention represents a plausible method to support children’s motor and psychosocial development. It is not possible from our data to say which children are most likely to benefit from such a programme and particularly what the dose and duration should be. Further research is required to inform across these and other questions regarding the implementation of virtual reality technologies in therapeutic services for children with movement difficulties.

Objective: In both clinical practice and research, motor delay is understood to be explained, at least in part, by intellectual abilities. However, no data are available in order to operationalise these criteria to guide clinical decision making. This study provides data on IQ and motor skill in children to answer three research questions concerning the relationship between IQ and motor skill: (1) Can motor coordination impairment be explained in terms of general intellectual retardation? (2) What level of motor performance is to be expected given the person's measured intelligence? (3) At what point are motor difficulties considered to be in excess of those usually associated with mental retardation? \ud Participants & Methods: IQ and motor skill data were analysed from a group of 460 children identified with/without motor difficulties from both clinical and educational settings.\ud Results: Typical and atypical motor skill was seen at all IQ levels, 19% of the variance in motor outcomes was explained by IQ scores, and for each standard deviation lower IQ, a mean loss of 10 percentile motor points should be expected.\ud Conclusions: Although individuals with a lower measured IQ more often showed poorer motor performance than those with a higher measured IQ, motor skill at all levels of proficiency was seen in all IQ categories. These findings have important implications for clinical judgements and decision-making as well as for future research directions to further operationalise the criteria relating to motor disorders in both DSM-IV and ICD-10.

Individuals with Asperger syndrome, part of the autism spectrum, experience particular difficulties with social interaction and communication. Despite having average (or above average) intellectual ability, the vast majority of these individuals fail to secure, or maintain, long term employment. Furthermore, high rates of anxiety are common in this group and this further compounds employment difficulties.\ud \ud In this article we outline some of the difficulties experienced by those with Asperger syndrome in the workplace, as well as the role and responsibility of those working in HR Departments to support those with Asperger syndrome according to the Equality Act (2010). We provide specific ideas for interventions and support that may be appropriate to this group.\ud \ud The article links to the HR Factsheet also available (see http://eprints.gold.ac.uk/5624/).

The development of adequate motor control and coordination is an important part of general development, allowing an infant to interact with and learn about the world around them and making possible so many everyday activities for children - at home, at school and at play.\ud \ud We know that severe neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy can have devastating effects on movement. Bugt the effects of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are perhaps less well known. What is our current understanding of the nature and impact of this condition? And how might psychologists help?

By the time typical children reach infant school they have in place key movement skills such as running, hopping, jumping, throwing, kicking and writing (Gallahue & Ozmun, 1995; Haywood & Getchell, 2001). While these skills will continue to be refined throughout childhood, they reveal that children possess sophisticated movement planning, organisation and execution skills even at this young age. In this chapter the potential cognitive explanations for developmental coordination disorder, a disorder in which movement skill does not develop in the typical way, will be reviewed, and, where possible, studies will be considered in terms of their parallels to activities of daily living.