Reaction Time and DCD
Pediatric Physical Therapy published research comparing the reaction time, movement time and peak force between 16 children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 11 children age matched peers without DCD. The children were asked to reach and grasp a toy car that was sliding down an 8 degree or 15 degree slope. The results showed that the children with DCD failed 35% of the test trials. When the children were successful at grabbing the car, the children with DCD had significantly longer reaction times and movement time. They also generated a larger peak force. When the slope did increase to 15 degrees both groups could adjust their reaction and movement times.
Reference: Mak, M. Reaching and Grasping a Moving Target Is Impaired in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder Pediatric Physical Therapy: Winter 2010 – Volume 22 – Issue 4 – p 384–391
doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e3181f9d885