Motor abilities of adolescents with a disruptive behavior disorder: The role of comorbidity with ADHD.
Nearly a large share of teen boys with disruptive behavior disorders have clear motor delays—check and teach movement skills no matter the ADHD label.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested 30 boys in a juvenile justice day program. All had a disruptive behavior disorder (DBD).
Each teen completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children. The test checks balance, catching, and fine-hand work.
Half the boys also had ADHD. The study asked: does ADHD change the motor profile?
What they found
Seventy-nine percent scored in the clinical range for motor impairment. That is almost eight out of ten teens.
The DBD-only group and the DBD-plus-ADHD group looked the same. Extra ADHD did not make movement worse.
How this fits with other research
Peng et al. (2026) show exercise can fix motor problems in kids with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Their meta-analysis gives hope that the deficits Tine found are treatable.
Izawa et al. (2012) found ADHD teens move faster but with more wobble. Tine’s ADHD teens did not move worse than DBD-only teens. The difference: Jun tested speed variability while Tine tested overall motor quotient.
Wagner et al. (2012) tracked younger children and saw motor trouble lead to peer rejection, then behavior problems. Tine’s work extends that chain: by adolescence, the motor gap is already wide and baked into DBD.
Why it matters
If you work with teens who break rules, screen motor skills even when ADHD is absent. Poor balance or handwriting can fuel frustration and escape behavior. Add brief motor breaks or teach shoe-tying step-by-step. Small wins build cooperation and cut problem behavior.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Run the Movement ABC-2 balance sub-test during intake; if the score is below 5th percentile, add 5-minute fine-motor warm-ups to each session.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the incidence, type and severity of motor impairment in male adolescents with a disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) and evaluate the role of comorbid ADHD. The Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency, Second Edition was administered to examine a detailed motor profile and to compare the motor abilities of individuals with DBD (n = 99) to those of controls (n = 87). Additional subgroup analyses were conducted within the clinical population and encompassed (1) analyzing differences in motor profiles between individuals diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD) and (2) comparing the motor profiles of individuals with or without comorbid ADHD. The results indicated that individuals with a DBD showed a mixed motor impairment profile. Even after controlling for IQ, the DBD group obtained significantly lower scores in comparison to controls. The ODD and CD subgroups showed a similar motor profile. Presence of comorbid ADHD did not produce major differences in the motor profile. As approximately 79% of the adolescents with a DBD suffered from motor impairment, motor ability needs to be adequately addressed in research as well as in clinical practice.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.01.004