Effect of SPARK Training Program on Neuropsychological and Motor Performance of Male Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Abstract

Background and Aims The present study aims to investigate the effect of the SPARK training program on some neuropsychological and motor performance variables in the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2) in male children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Methods This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design. Participants were 28 school-aged boys diagnosed with DCD (based on the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) from elementary schools (1-4th grades) in District 22 of Tehran, Iran. They underwent the MABC-2 tests as a pretest assessment. Then, they were divided randomly assigned to training (n=14, mean age: 8.6±1.39 years) and control (n=14, mean age: 8.11±1.15 years) groups. The training group performed the SPARK training program at 16 sessions of 45 minutes, three sessions per week. At the end of the training sessions, participants completed the posttest assessment. Data analysis was performed using analysis of covariance. Results The training significantly improved motor performance in domains of manual dexterity (Placing pegs, drawing a trail), ball skills (catching with both hands, throwing a bean bag onto mat), and balance (One-board balance, heel-to-toe walking forwards, hopping on mats) (P<0.05), but there was no significant change in manual dexterity test of threading lace (P>0.05). Conclusion It seems that the SPARK training program can improve some neuropsychological and motor performance indices in male children with DCD.