Neuromotor development from 5 to 18 years. Part 1: timed performance

Abstract

Timed performance in specific motor tasks is an essential component of a neurological examination applied to children with motor dysfunctions. This article provides centile curves describing normal developmental course and interindividual variation of timed performances of non‐disabled children from 5 to 18 years. In a cross‐sectional study (n=662) the following motor tasks were investigated: repetitive finger movements, hand and foot movements, alternating hand and foot movements, sequential finger movements, pegboard, and dynamic and static balance. Intraobserver, interobserver, and test‐retest reliability for timed measurements were moderate to high. Timed performances improved throughout the entire prepubertal period, but differed among various motor tasks with respect to increase in speed and when the‘adolescent plateau' was reached. Centile curves of timed performance displayed large interindividual variation for all motor tasks. At no age were clinically relevant sex differences noted, nor did socioeconomic status significantly correlate with timed performance. Our results demonstrate that timed motor performances between 5 and 18 years are characterized by a long‐lasting developmental change and a large interindividual variation. Therefore, a well standardized test instrument, and age‐specific standards for motor performances are necessary preconditions for a reliable assessment of motor competence in school‐age children.

A systematic review of sensorimotor function during adolescence: a developmental stage of increased motor awkwardness?

“…Five studies reported large inter-subject variability within age groupings32 43 48 49 54 and 10 studies reported significant differences between adolescent males and females for certain sensorimotor mechanisms 1217 28 32 33 42 44 49 51 52. Two studies reported no differences between sexes for the observed measures 13 50.…”

“…No studies were comprehensively longitudinal (ie, longitudinal over the entire age range) or systematically representative of the spectrum of adolescent ages. However, some studies did utilise samples that went beyond simple, cross-sectional designs 17 32 33 38 42–44 48–50 52 53…”

“…All of the identified studies related to coordination showed progressive improvement in coordinative abilities during the adolescent age span 45–49 51 52 54 55. However, Largo et al 48 49 noted that developmental improvements are often highly variable between children of the same age and influenced by the level of complexity of the task.…”

Gender differences in quality of schoolwork task performance among typically developing students and students at risk of or with mild disabilities

“…Yet, the range of differences between individuals within a given group (e.g. gender, age) is often quite large when compared with the mean differences between groups (21,23,24).…”

Physiotherapy intervention for 4-5 year old children born extremely preterm and/or extremely low birth weight

“…In a study by Largo et al, the average for SLS amongst typically developing five year olds was approximately seven to eight seconds compared to approximately four seconds in the current study. It is important to note that the children in the current study were slightly younger in terms of their corrected age and that the SLS testing procedure in the Largo et al study differed a little (Largo et al, 2001). …”