Intact procedural motor sequence learning in developmental coordination disorder.
Kids with DCD can learn finger sequences on a screen as fast as peers, so slow progress likely stems from output demands, not a broken learning engine.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Caroline et al. (2013) watched kids with developmental coordination disorder tap a touch-screen sequence.
The task removed heavy hand-eye demands so the team could test pure learning, not motor speed.
A comparison group of typically developing kids did the same taps.
What they found
Both groups learned the finger order equally well.
Kids with DCD kept up even though they move clumsily in daily life.
The study says the learning mechanism is intact; the trouble lies elsewhere.
How this fits with other research
McGonigle-Chalmers et al. (2008) saw high-functioning ASD kids fail a similar touch sequence as length grew.
Caroline’s DCD group did not fail, showing the deficit is diagnosis-specific, not screen-based.
Katz-Nave et al. (2020) boosted ASD learning with a quick swing before the same task.
That extra step was not needed here; DCD kids learned without help.
Together the papers say: check the diagnosis first, then decide if you add vestibular primes or simplify sequences.
Why it matters
If a child with DCD struggles, do not assume they cannot learn patterns.
Cut extra perceptual load instead—use large icons, stable screens, or finger guides.
Once the output path is clear, teach skills in repeating sequences just as you would for any peer.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of the present study was to explore the possibility of a procedural learning deficit among children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). We tested 34 children aged 6-12 years with and without DCD using the serial reaction time task, in which the standard keyboard was replaced by a touch screen in order to minimize the impact of perceptuomotor coordination difficulties that characterize this disorder. The results showed that children with DCD succeed as well as control children at the procedural sequence learning task. These findings challenge the hypothesis that a procedural learning impairment underlies the difficulties of DCD children in acquiring and automatizing daily activities. We suggest that the previously reported impairment of children with DCD on the serial reaction time task is not due to a sequence learning deficit per se, but rather due to methodological factors such as the response mode used in these studies.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.017