Obstacle Course Versus Neuromotor Task Training in Children With DCD

June 8, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Comparison of Obstacle Course Training and Neuromotor Task Training on Motor Planning and Functional Mobility in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects motor planning and functional mobility in children, leading to long-term functional and psychosocial difficulties. This randomized clinical trial will compare the effectiveness of Obstacle Course Training (OCT) and Neuromotor Task Training (NTT) in improving motor planning and functional mobility in children aged 7-10 years diagnosed with DCD. Participants will be randomly allocated to either OCT or NTT for 9 weeks (two sessions per week). Outcomes will be assessed using standardized motor performance measures to determine the more effective intervention.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 5-6% of school-aged children worldwide. Marked by impairments in motor coordination, skill development, and functional performance. The complex etiology of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is linked to atypical neurodevelopment, genetic predispositions, and associated co-morbidities such as ADHD and ASD, further influenced by perinatal factors like prematurity and low birth weight. DCD is associated with long-term consequences, including difficulties in activities of daily living (ADLs), reduced participation in physical activities, and impaired psychosocial functioning, which collectively increase the risk of obesity and lower self-efficacy. Early, targeted, and task-specific interventions are crucial. Among these, Neuromotor Task Training (NTT) focuses on improving motor planning through structured, cognitive strategies, while Obstacle Course Training (OCT) provides a dynamic setting that promotes functional movement and real-time problem-solving.

This randomized clinical trial will compare the effects of both interventions. The study will be conducted over 10 months at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH) pediatric rehabilitation center and Sehat Medical Complex (SMC) Hanjarwal. The duration of the intervention will be 9 weeks, with 2 sessions per week. There will be two study groups, and convenient sampling techniques will be used. Eligible participants will be children aged 7 to 10 years, both males and females, diagnosed with DCD based on DSM-5 criteria, with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score >24 and an IQ above 75 on the Raven Intelligence Scale. Screening for DCD will be done using the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) and motor proficiency will be assessed using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2). Children with a DCDQ score of ≤48 and a BOT-2 score of ≤40 will be included. Children with other neurological, psychiatric, or orthopedic conditions will be excluded. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either Obstacle Course Training (OCT) or Neuromotor Task Training (NTT) to assess which intervention more effectively improves motor planning and functional mobility. SPSS version 27 will be used for data analysis.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
28

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

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Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • Diagnosis of DCD based on DSM4/5 criteria.

    • Children aged 7-10.
    • Gender male and female.
    • Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score >24 .
    • Cognitive development appropriate for chronological age.
    • Raven Intelligence Test Scale (IQ > 75) .
    • Developmental Coordination Questionnaire ≤48 points: likely DCD (≤ 10th percentile).
    • BOT-2 score ≤ 40.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of surgery and lower limb injuries over the past 12 months.
  • Use of assistive devices to balance and walk.
  • Severe ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (if it significantly interferes with participation), or major psychiatric disorders.
  • Taking neuroleptics or any other medications that significantly alter muscle tone, coordination, or attention.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Obstacle Course Training (OCT)
Participants will receive structured Obstacle Course Training focused on over-ground walking with obstacle negotiation. Training targets motor planning, toe clearance, and functional mobility under single- and dual-task conditions.
Behavioral: Obstacle Course Training
Participants will perform Obstacle Course Training on a 12-meter walkway with a midpoint obstacle at low (30% leg length) and high (50% leg length) heights. Training includes single-task walking (8 trials) and dual-task walking (16 trials) with concurrent visual discrimination tasks using flashcards. Walking time, toe clearance, and response accuracy will be recorded. Sessions will be conducted twice weekly for 9 weeks.
Experimental: Neuromotor Task Training (NTT)
Participants will receive neuromotor task training using task-oriented activities focused on motor planning, execution, and evaluation through structured, game-based stations.
Behavioral: Neuromotor Task Training

Each session will involve task-oriented activities arranged in multiple stations. Activities will be broken down into planning, execution, and evaluation phases and will include soccer, netball, basketball, tagging games, rope skipping, and other age-appropriate functional games. Children will perform tasks with therapist guidance and feedback to enhance motor planning and performance.

Each session will last approximately 45-60 minutes, including warm-up, main activities, and cool-down. The intervention will be delivered over 9 weeks, with 2 sessions per week.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) for fine and gross Motor Skills
Time Frame: 9 weeks
The BOT-2 (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition) scoring converts raw scores into precise motor proficiency metrics for ages 4-21, using sex-specific norms
9 weeks
Timed Up and Go Test (TUG)
Time Frame: 9 weeks
The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test measures functional mobility and fall risk in seconds. The test requires a participant to stand up, walk 3 meters, turn, walk back, and sit down. Results < 10 seconds indicate normal mobility, while times >13.5-14 seconds indicate a higher risk of falls and frailty, requiring further evaluation
9 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Riphah International University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Arshmaan Mahmood, MS-PPT, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • 1. Fogel Y, Stuart N, Joyce T, Barnett AL. Relationships between motor skills and executive functions in developmental coordination disorder (DCD): A systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2023;30(3):344-56. 2. Castellucci G, Singla R. Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia). StatPearls [Internet]: StatPearls Publishing; 2024. 3. Karabak M, Akıncı MA, Yıldırım Demirdöğen E, Bozkurt A. Prevalence and associated factors of developmental coordination disorder in primary school children. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2024:1-12. 4. Li H, Ke X, Huang D, Xu X, Tian H, Gao J, et al. The prevalence of developmental coordination disorder in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2024;12:1387406.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 14, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 8, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Riphah IU-Arshmaan

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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