Dyslexic children need more robust information to resolve conflicting sensory situations

Associations between Executive Functions and Sensorimotor Performance in Children at Risk for Learning Disabilities

Executive functions (EF) and sensorimotor skills play a critical role in children's goal-directed behavior and school readiness. The aim of the current study is to provide new insights into the relationship between executive functions and sensorimotor development by considering the risks associated with learning difficulties. Therefore, we investigate the predictive role of EF and sensorimotor skills in the development of learning difficulties during preschool years. Ninety-five preschool children (5-7 years old) were tested, comparing the performance of children that are at risk of learning difficulties (n = 55) to the performance of typically developing children (n = 40). Participants completed a battery for the assessment of sensorimotor skills (i.e., Southern California Sensory Integration Test: postural imitation, body midline crossing, bilateral motor coordination, and standing balance with eyes open) and executive functions (i.e., inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and verbal working memory). Our results show that children at risk for learning difficulties exhibited more impairments on sensorimotor and EF measures (inhibition and verbal working memory) when compared with TD children. We ran three separate binary logistic regression analyses to assess the relative influence of EF and sensorimotor functions on predicting risk for learning difficulties. Our findings demonstrated that verbal working memory as EF function (odd ratio (OR) = 0.91, 95% CI 0.78-0.91, P = 0.05) and standing balance skills as a sensorimotor skill (odd ratio (OR) = 0.86, 95% CI 0.81-0.98, P = 0.01) were the strongest predictors of risk for learning difficulties. The findings point to the importance of supporting children's executive function development and promoting sensorimotor development, as both fundamentally influence school readiness.

Specific Learning Disorder in Children and Adolescents, a Scoping Review on Motor Impairments and Their Potential Impacts

Mastering motor skills is important for children to achieve functional mobility and participate in daily activities. Some studies have identified that students with specific learning disorders (SLD) could have impaired motor skills; however, this postulate and the potential impacts remain unclear. The purpose of the scoping review was to evaluate if SLD children have motor impairments and examine the possible factors that could interfere with this assumption. The sub-objective was to investigate the state of knowledge on the lifestyle behavior and physical fitness of participants with SLD and to discuss possible links with their motor skills. Our scoping review included preregistration numbers and the redaction conformed with the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 34 studies published between 1990 and 2022 were identified. The results of our scoping review reflected that students with SLD have poorer motor skills than their peers. These motor impairments are exacerbated by the complexity of the motor activities and the presence of comorbidities. These results support our sub-objective and highlight the link between motor impairments and the sedentary lifestyle behavior of SLDs. This could lead to deteriorating health and motor skills due to a lack of motor experience, meaning that this is not necessarily a comorbidity. This evidence emphasizes the importance of systematic clinical motor assessments and physical activity adaptations.