Taekwondo training improves sensory organization and balance control in children with developmental coordination disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
Three months of daily Taekwondo classes meaningfully boosts balance and sensory organization in elementary kids with DCD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team enrolled 60 elementary kids with developmental coordination disorder.
Half took a one-hour Taekwondo class every school day for three months.
The other half kept their normal schedule with no extra movement class.
Balance and sensory tests were given before and after the three months.
What they found
Kids who trained in Taekwondo gained medium-sized balance improvements.
Their scores on vestibular and postural tests moved close to typical levels.
The control group showed no meaningful change.
How this fits with other research
Bonney et al. (2017) extends these results to teenage girls.
They showed Wii games or task-oriented training once a week also boost motor skills.
Bellon-Harn et al. (2020) conceptually replicate the benefit in autistic children using music therapy.
All three studies show movement-based play can lift coordination, but the dose differs.
Daily martial arts works for young DCD kids; weekly games or music work for older or autistic groups.
Why it matters
You can now prescribe Taekwondo as an evidence-based balance intervention for elementary clients with DCD.
If parents worry about screen time, martial arts gives a real-world option.
If teens dislike uniforms, Wii or functional training still helps.
Always check severity and co-morbid issues first, then match the activity to the child’s age and preference.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have poorer postural control and are more susceptible to falls and injuries than their healthy counterparts. Sports training may improve sensory organization and balance ability in this population. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three months of Taekwondo (TKD) training on the sensory organization and standing balance of children with DCD. It is a randomized controlled trial. Forty-four children with DCD (mean age: 7.6±1.3 years) and 18 typically developing children (mean age: 7.2±1.0 years) participated in the study. Twenty-one children with DCD were randomly selected to undergo daily TKD training for three months (1 h per day). Twenty-three children with DCD and 18 typically developing children received no training as controls. Sensory organization and standing balance were evaluated using a sensory organization test (SOT) and unilateral stance test (UST), respectively. Repeated measures MANCOVA showed a significant group by time interaction effect. Post hoc analysis demonstrated that improvements in the vestibular ratio (p=0.003) and UST sway velocity (p=0.007) were significantly greater in the DCD-TKD group than in the DCD-control group. There was no significant difference in the average vestibular ratio or UST sway velocity between the DCD-TKD and normal-control group after three months of TKD training (p>0.05). No change was found in the somatosensory ratio after TKD training (p>0.05). Significant improvements in visual ratios, vestibular ratios, SOT composite scores and UST sway velocities were also observed in the DCD-TKD group after training (p≤0.01). Three months of daily TKD training can improve sensory organization and standing balance for children with DCD. Clinicians can suggest TKD as a therapeutic leisure activity for this population.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.08.023