Deficient motor timing in children with neurofibromatosis type 1.
Kids with NF1 tap slower to a beat and their poor timing predicts messy drawing and daily skill gaps.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tested the kids with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and 25 matched peers.
Each child tapped a button as soon as a light blinked at set time intervals.
The team also gave a quick visual-motor drawing test to see if timing linked to daily skills.
What they found
Kids with NF1 were slower to hit the button when the light came at a steady beat.
Their slower timing went hand-in-hand with lower scores on the drawing test.
Controls hit the beat just fine and drew cleaner shapes.
How this fits with other research
M-Tassé et al. (2013) first showed NF1 adults struggle with visual-spatial memory. Davidson et al. (2014) now adds that motor timing is also weak in NF1 kids, painting a fuller lifespan picture.
Dionne et al. (2024) found poor visual-motor integration hurts math in kids with DCD. The new NF1 study shows the same link, suggesting the skill matters across diagnoses.
Cashon et al. (2013) used eye tracking to show delayed visual orienting in kids with ID. Julie et al. used finger tapping to show delayed motor timing in NF1. Both reveal slow responses, just in different body parts.
Why it matters
If you serve a child with NF1, add a simple finger-tap-to-beat test to your intake. Slow taps plus messy drawing signal extra help is needed for handwriting and daily tasks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is one of the most common single-gene disorders affecting fine and visual-motor skills. This case-control study investigated motor timing as a possible related performance deficit in children with NF1. A visual-motor reaction time (VRT) test was administered in 20 NF1 children (mean age 9 years 7 months) and 20 age- and gender-matched typically developing (TD) children. Copying and tracing performance were evaluated using the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery VMI). Children with NF1 responded with an increased reaction time (RT) to temporally predictive stimuli compared to TD children, whereas RT at unpredictive stimuli did not differ between groups. Motor timing indexed by the RT decrease at predictive stimuli significantly associated with the Beery VMI copy and tracing outcomes. Deficient motor timing as an actual symptom may add to further research on the pathogenesis of NF1-associated motor impairment and the development of more effective treatment.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.07.059