Intelligence and visual motor integration in 5-year-old children with 22q11-deletion syndrome.
In 22q11DS preschoolers, weak visual-perception drags down IQ scores more than weak hands do.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Duijff et al. (2012) looked at five-year-olds with 22q11-deletion syndrome.
They gave each child a short IQ test and a visual-motor copying task.
The team then ran numbers to see which skill—seeing or drawing—tied more closely to IQ.
What they found
Kids who scored low on visual-perception also scored low on IQ.
Fine-motor scores did not predict IQ at all.
In short, poor seeing, not poor pencil work, explained the lower IQ numbers.
How this fits with other research
Van Aken et al. (2010) seems to disagree. They found that older 22q11 kids moved the pencil worse than IQ-matched peers.
The two studies differ in age and task. Sasja used a paper-pencil copy test; Katrijn used a live tracking game.
The gap makes sense: visual-perception drives IQ scores in preschool, while real-time motor control shows its own syndrome deficit later.
Petrovic et al. (2016) back this up. Their review lists weak visual memory as a red flag for later psychosis, so catching perception problems early matters.
Why it matters
Before you write "cognitive delay" in a 22q11DS report, check visual-perception first. A quick design-copy or block-design test can tell you if the low IQ score is really a seeing issue. If perception is the weak spot, add visual discrimination drills instead of more academic facts.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between intelligence and visual motor integration skills in 5-year-old children with 22q11-deletion syndrome (22q11DS) (N = 65, 43 females, 22 males; mean age 5.6 years (SD 0.2), range 5.23-5.99 years). Sufficient VMI skills seem a prerequisite for IQ testing. Since problems related to these skills are reported in children with 22q11DS, weak VMI skills may contribute to the lower than average IQ scores commonly reported. To investigate if the correlation of VMI and IQ score was mainly influenced by problems with visual perception skills (VP), motor coordination skills (MC) or difficulties with the integration of both skills (VMI), a subgroup (n = 28) was also administered the Beery VMI supplemental developmental tests. Due to the narrow age range of this study, we were also able to provide an insight into the neurocognitive phenotype of 5-year olds with 22q11DS and the influence of gender, heart disease and origin of deletion on this phenotype. Results show a mean full scale IQ (FSIQ) = 73.0 (SD 10.4) and mean VMI = 86.2 (SD 8.4). A significant correlation between FSIQ and VMI was found (r = .45, p = .000), with most variation (26%) explained in the performance IQ score ((PIQ), r = .51, p = .000). VP correlated significantly with FSIQ (r = .44, p = .01) and PIQ (r = .49, p = .004). MC was not significantly correlated with IQ (FSIQ, r = .21, p = .15; PIQ, r = .28, p = .07), suggesting that problems with motor coordination do not influence results on IQ-tests in a significant way at this age. Girls scored significantly higher on FSIQ and PIQ than boys; cardiac anomalies were not predictive of FSIQ or VMI scores. The results of this study suggest a characteristic neurocognitive phenotype for 5-year olds with 22q11DS. Deficiencies in visual perception and/or processing are negatively correlated with IQ scores, whereas deficiencies in motor skills do not have a relevant negative impact at this age. These findings provide further insight into 22q11DS specific neurocognitive deficiencies.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.10.004