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Associations between ADHD and motor ability have been observed in the past, but remain largely under examined. In this study, 157 males (mean age of 10 years) from 35 mainstream elementary schools in Perth, Australia were examined for associations between symptoms of ADHD and motor abilities. Four sub-groups were characterized:
(1) those with predominantly symptoms of inattentiveness (50 subjects) (2) those with a predominantly hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms (16), (3) those with combined symptoms (38), and (4) a control group without symptoms of ADHD (39). All received parent questionnaires, as well as objective measures of intelligence, fine and gross motor abilities, and attention. Findings demonstrated that the 3 sub-groups of students with ADHD (altogether) had significantly poorer movement ability than the control group. However, when these three groups of students were analyzed separately, skills with a ball, fine motor skills, and other motor skills differed significantly between the three. For example, the group with primarily attention problems and the combined symptoms group had most problems with fine motor skills. Poorer fine motor ability could not be attributed to deficits in concentration. Rather, motor problems appeared to be separate co-morbid diagnoses. Authors also point out that the patterns of motor problems detected in many of the students are consistent with a ‘developmental coordination disorder.’ The authors suggest that many children with ADHD may benefit from having their motor skills tested and that many students with motor problems may also have undetected attention deficits. (Pitcher TM et al. Develop Med & Child Neurol 2003; 45:525-535.) Comment: After reading this article, I’ve begun to notice how many students with a diagnosis of ADHD in my school districts are receiving occupational therapy for problems with fine motor tasks (writing, etc…). Unrecognized motor problems could be causing unnecessary academic and non-academic stresses for other students with ADHD. – H.T.
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