Annie Brookman|Sarah McDonald|David McDonald|Dorothy V. M. Bishop
Fine motor deficits in reading disability and language impairment: same or different?
University of Oxford|University of Oxford|University of Oxford|University of Oxford
several studies found evidence motor deficits poor readers obvious reason motor literacy skills go together suggested deficits could indicative underlying problem cerebellar function andor procedural learning however picture complicated fact reading problems often cooccur oral language impairments also linked motor deficits raises question whether motor deficits characterise poor readers language impairment accounted vice versa considered questions assessing motor deficits associated reading disability rd language impairment li large community sample provided subset 9 10yearolds selected oversample children reading andor language difficulties give 37 children comorbid li rd 67 children rd 32 children li 117 typicallydeveloping td children neither type difficulty children given four motor tasks taxed speed sequence imitation abilities differing extents different patterns results found four motor tasks effect rd li two speeded fingertip tapping tasks one involved sequencing movements li rd associated problems imitating hand positions slowed performance speeded pegmoving task required precision grip fine motor deficits poor readers may function language impairment literacy problems