Effects of Exercise Combined With Cognitive Training on Motor Performance in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Effects of Exercise Combined With Cognitive Training on Balance, Motor Skills and Physical Fitness Among Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder(DCD) is a common neuro-developmental disorder in childhood, characterized by deficits in motor coordination. This study aimed to examine the effects of exercise combined with cognitive training versus exercise-only training on balance-postural control, gross motor skills and physical fitness in children with DCD.

Methods: A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted. Twenty children aged 7-11 years diagnosed with DCD were randomly allocated into experimental group(n=10) receiving 10-week combined exercise-cognitive training and control group(n=10) receiving exercise-only training. Training was implemented 3 sessions per week, 60 minutes per session for 10 weeks. Outcome assessments were performed at baseline, week-6 and week-10. Motor performance indicators included Y-balance test, eyes-closed single-leg stand, BOT-2 gross-motor sub-scale and national student physical fitness tests.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Combined exercise-cognitive training; Behavioral: Exercise-only training

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Shanghai Municipality
    • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200438
      • Shanghai University of Sport

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Children aged between 7-11 years old.
2. Satisfied screening criteria for Developmental Coordination Disorder: MABC-2 total percentile ≤16 or sub-item percentile ≤5; meet age-cut-off score of DCD-Q questionnaire.
3. Caregiver reported motor difficulties have presented from early developmental stage.
4. Participants are capable of completing all training and assessment procedures.
5. Written informed consent provided by legal guardians.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD or other neurodevelopmental disorders.
2. Severe organic disease that contraindicates physical exercise.
3. Receiving concurrent physical therapy or occupational therapy targeting motor coordination during study period.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Combined motor-cognitive training group; Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder received combined motor-cognitive training. Each session integrated physical exercise and cognitive tasks to improve motor performance	Behavioral: Combined exercise-cognitive training; Participants received 10-week training, 3 sessions per week, 60 minutes per session. Each session contained 30-minute fundamental motor-skill exercise (running, jumping, kicking, throwing, catching), plus 30-minute cognitive training consisting of action observation, motor-imagery guided tasks with picture/video prompts. Training difficulty was progressively divided into basic phase(1-3w), advanced phase(4-6w), and integration phase(7-10w).
Active Comparator: Exercise-only training control group; children received general physical-activity training with the same frequency, duration and intensity as the experimental group, without additional cognitive tasks.	Behavioral: Exercise-only training; Participants received identical 30-minute fundamental motor-skill physical exercise same as experimental group each session. Instead of cognitive training, children performed matched quiet non-cognitive rest activity for another 30 minutes, to equalize total trainer-contact time. The whole intervention lasted 10 weeks, three sessions weekly, 60 minutes each session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Gross Motor Skills Assessed by the BOT-2	The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) evaluates gross motor skills, including balance, bilateral coordination, and running speed. The Total Motor Composite standard score will be reported. The standard score ranges from a minimum of 20 to a maximum of 80. Higher scores indicate better gross motor proficiency and coordination.	Baseline (pre-intervention) and post-intervention (10 weeks).
Change in Dynamic Postural Control Assessed by the Y-Balance	Measures maximum controlled reach distance in three directions while maintaining a single-leg stance.	Baseline (pre-intervention) ,6weeks and post-intervention (10 weeks).
Change in Static Postural Control Assessed by the Single-Leg Stance Test with Eyes Closed	Participants stand on one leg with their eyes closed. The duration (in seconds) they can successfully maintain balance is recorded to evaluate static postural control and proprioceptive integration capacity.	Baseline (pre-intervention) ,6weeks and post-intervention 10weeks
Change in Lower Limb Coordination Assessed by the Side Hop Test	Participants perform continuous lateral jumps back and forth over a set distance within a limited time. The total number of successful jumps is recorded to reflect lower limb coordination and rapid posture adjustment ability.	Baseline (pre-intervention) ,6weeks and post-intervention 10weeks
Change in Sprinting Speed Assessed by the 50-Meter Dash	The time taken (in seconds) to complete a 50-meter sprint is recorded to evaluate physical speed and acceleration capabilities.	Baseline (pre-intervention) ,6weeks and post-intervention 10weeks
Change in Coordination and Cardiopulmonary Endurance Assessed by the 1-Minute Jump Rope Test	The number of valid jumps completed within one minute is recorded to reflect whole-body coordination and cardiopulmonary endurance levels.	Baseline (pre-intervention) ,6weeks and post-intervention 10weeks
Change in Lower Limb Explosive Power Assessed by the Standing Long Jump	The maximum valid horizontal jump distance (in centimeters) is recorded to evaluate the explosive power of the lower limbs.	Baseline (pre-intervention) ,6weeks and post-intervention 10weeks
Change in Core Muscle Endurance Assessed by the 1-Minute Sit-Up Test	The number of correctly performed sit-ups completed in one minute is recorded to evaluate trunk and core muscle endurance.	Baseline (pre-intervention) ,6weeks and post-intervention 10weeks
Change in Flexibility Assessed by the Sit-and-Reach Test	The maximum forward reach distance (in centimeters) is recorded to evaluate the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles.	Baseline (pre-intervention) ,6weeks and post-intervention 10weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Shanghai University of Sport

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 14, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 26, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 6, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): September 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 10, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 6, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: children; dynamic balance; motor function; motor skills; Developmental Coordination Disorder; combined motor-cognitive training
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Motor Skills Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: SUS-2026-DCD-001

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