Date created: | Last Updated:

Category: Procedure

Description: Background Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) struggle to perform and acquire new motor skills, affecting their participation in sporting and physical activities, which in turn can affect self-esteem, mental health, quality of life and academic achievement. To date no studies have explored the brain changes underpinning fundamental motor skills attainment over sessions in young people with DCD. This study sets out to estimate the extent of the impact and feasibility of implementing an intervention targeted to investigate motor learning and performance in children with poor motor skill acquisition and performance. Methods Design a controlled (1:1) assessor blind experimental trial. A whole year group of adolescents (aged 12-15yrs) from three mainstream schools in Oxfordshire will be screened for the following fitness parameters: endurance, strength, power, balance and coordination measurements. Adolescents in the lower quintile of fitness (30 with low motor competence, with confirmation from PE teachers). Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-2) will be invited to participate in a 60 minute, twice weekly, seven week structured strength and cardio vascular exercise program with an embedded novel rhythmic motor stepping task. At baseline demographic data of fitness and health including motor skills, pubertal stage, age, gender and BMI will be taken. In addition, at three visits (baseline, seven and 12 weeks), motor skill and learning will be assessed on a novel rhythmic stepping task. In addition, brain activation (temporal and topographical) will be measured via functional MRI and Near Infrared Spectroscopy during varying task complexities (single and dual task). In addition, outcomes assessing quality of life, physical activity levels, self-perception, anthropometric data will be recorded. Feasibility and fidelity will be assessed through recruitment and retention, adherence and a quantitative process evaluation at the end of the trial. We will describe demographic factors, motor skill, fitness, health, brain structure and function in order to characterise participants and determine possible mediators to identify the processes by which the intervention may bring about change. Discussion Feasibility (recruitment, safety, feasibility of implementation of the intervention and evaluation, protocol adherence and data completion) and potential for benefit (estimates of effect size and variability) will be determined to inform future planned studies. Trial registration Retrospectively registered on Clinical trail.gov reference: NCT03150784