Differentiation of motor planning ability in normal and learning-disabled children

Abstract

Twenty children with learning disabilities (LD) and 40 normal children aged from seven to 12 years were studied to examine the relation between motor planning ability and learning disabilities. It was expected that children with LD would score significantly lower on a test of praxis than normal children, and different types of apraxia would be identified in LD children. In addition, the relation between apraxia and writing disability, speaking disability, distractibility, hand dominance and socio-economic factors was explored. Results indicated that the motor planning ability of children with LD is disturbed and that different types of apraxia occur. The child's failure on these tests has an influence on academic performance and daily life.