The effect of motor load on planning and inhibition in developmental coordination disorder.

Koegel et al. (2014) asked kids with Developmental Coordination Disorder to do thinking tasks while also moving.

They wanted to know if heavier body work changed scores on planning and stop-and-wait tests.

The team compared kids with DCD to same-age peers without the disorder.

Children with DCD scored lower on both planning and inhibition tasks.

Surprise: how well each child could move did not predict the thinking score.

Extra motor load did not make the gap bigger; the gap was already there.

Spriggs et al. (2015) seem to disagree at first. They saw teens with Down syndrome gain planning skills after eight weeks of motor-assisted cycling.

The key difference: D et al. gave steady, assisted movement every week. L et al. only added one-time extra load during testing. Practice, not load, may drive the gain.

Yi et al. (2014) used a similar test set-up in kids with cerebral palsy and also found weaker inhibition. The pattern repeats across motor disorders.

Capio et al. (2013) add that kids with DCD pause more while writing. Together the papers show the problem is more about timing and planning than muscle speed.

When you test EF in children with DCD, keep the motor part the same for everyone. If you raise the body-work demand, you might blame the test score on muscles instead of the real thinking issue. Use simple, low-load tasks and look at planning or stop-and-wait skills directly. This keeps your data clean and your goals clear.