Developmental Motor Profile in Preschool Children with Primary Stereotypic Movement Disorder

Abstract

Aim. Different neuropsychological dysfunctions have been described in children with primary Stereotypic Movement Disorder (SMD), mainly attention or motor coordination problems. Up to now with no study has evaluated psychomotor functions in preschoolers primary SMD. The aim of this observational study was to gather information on the motor profiles of SMD patients in this age range in comparison with typically developing children. Patients and Methods. Twenty-six children (four girls) aged 36 to 76 months (mean= 53 ±10) with primary SMD were assessed by a structured evaluation including the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2), the Beery-Buktenica Developmental test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI), the Repetitive Behaviour Scale-Revised (RBS-R), the Motor Severity Stereotypy Scale (MSSS), and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). The diagnoses of Intellectual Disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder were exclusion criteria from the study. A comparison group of twenty-seven (four girls) typically developing children without stereotypies aged 36 to 59 months (mean= 48 ±7) was also examined. Results. The MABC–2 total score was lower than 15th percentile in fifteen children with SMD (58%); the worst performances were observed in Balance and Manual Dexterity subtests. The motor coordination score of VMI was lower than 15th percentile in ten children (38%). The majority of the children with low scores at MABC-2 also had low scores at the motor coordination subscale of VMI. MABC-2 standard scores of the clinical group were significantly lower than those of controls on MABC-2 Total, Balance, and Ball Skills subtests. Conclusion. The finding of widespread dysfunction of gross and fine motor abilities in preschoolers with primary SMD seems to delineate a peculiar phenotype and could provide new approaches to the management of this neurodevelopment disorder.

Systematic Review of Visual Motor Integration in Children with Developmental Disabilities

“…Another study reported a negative impact on VMI skills in children with primary stereotypic movement disorder [ 70 ]. Overall, the literature was at a consensus that diagnosis impacts VMI skills [ 66 – 70 ]. Table 6 provides a summary of the findings.…”

“…Three studies examined VMI deficits in children with coordination disorders [ 66 , 68 , 70 ]. Participation in activities was positively correlated with motor ability as captured by the VMI score in children with DCD [ 68 ].…”

“…Participation in activities was positively correlated with motor ability as captured by the VMI score in children with DCD [ 68 ]. However, no difference was found between children with primary stereotypic movement disorder and children of typical development in VMI total score [ 70 ]. Similarly, no correlation between motor coordination and IQ was found in children with 22q11-deletion syndrome, but a significant correlation was found between IQ scores and Beery VMI scores [ 66 ].…”

“…Additionally, two studies investigated various subpopulations of children and found VMI deficits in each population [ 67 , 70 ]. Children of very preterm and very low birth weight demonstrated impaired motor functioning and a range of deficits in attention and VMI skills [ 67 ].…”

“…Five recent studies explored the implications of other diagnoses (e.g., coordination disorders, prematurity, and HIV) and VMI performance in children [66][67][68][69][70]. Three studies examined VMI deficits in children with coordination disorders [66,68,70]. One study reported VMI deficits in children of very preterm and very low birth weight [67].…”