Effectiveness of Motor Imagery Training for Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder Among Indian Children - A Pilot Study

Abstract

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) experiences difficulty in performing coordinated movement task as there is a defect in the internal modelling of movements. The aetiology of DCD has been examined in several studies which reveal several viable hypotheses including reduced processing speed, problems in executive functioning, poor cross-model integration and low perceptual-motor coupling. Researchers well documented that the predictive control of movements is impaired in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), it was examined that impaired control of movements was due to a deficit in the internal modelling of movements. Motor imagery training has been used to test this internal modelling deficit. Motor imagery training is useful for children with DCD as it focuses on internal modelling of movements. The current study aims to examine the effectiveness of Motor imagery training focused on mental imagery task to enhance the movement coordination abilities of children with DCD. By random sampling, 20 children with DCD were randomly divided into two groups, Group A received MI training, and Group B received COOP- Cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance. Both groups received intervention for nine sessions of 45 minutes. The results provided by the current study will help to describe treatment protocol for children with DCD with evidence. Both children and therapist will be benefited from the study.