PP11.2 – 2533: Deficit of visuospatial perception in a group of children with developmental coordination disorder with or without comorbidity

Abstract

Objective Children with DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder) constitute a heterogeneous group. The identification of subtypes is not acknowledged yet but is crucial to orient specific and differential therapies. Moreover other neurodevelopmental disorders as specific language disorder were strongly associated with DCD. The visuo-spatial function appears to be particularly sensitive to neuro-cognitive developmental disorders. This emphasizes the clinical importance of using tools to specifically test the visuo-spatial function during development. But actually, current tests used in clinical routine are too multifactorial to allow a differential diagnosis and care of visuospatial, gestural or executive components within these disorders. Methods The aim of this study was therefore to assess the presence of visuospatial perception impairment in children with DCD with or without comorbidity using a simple, fast and specific test of this function (whose responses do not require action, multi-choice, object recognition or language) that we have normalized on 96 children between 4 and 12 years old and in a group of 14 young adults (Pisella et al, A test revealing the slow acquisition and the dorsal stream substrate of visuo-spatial perception, Neuropsychologia, 2013, 51, 106–113). We tested a group of 17 DCD children and 13 DCD children with specific language impairment. Results The impairment of visuospatial function was present in about 40% of our whole group (Mann Whitney test). Moreover, the score of visuospatial ability was significantly different (Man Whitney test, p=0.039) between the two groups of DCD children with and without specific language impairment. Conclusion Based on these results, we expect that the test of visuospatial perception can become an interesting tool for an early and large detection of potential DCD with or without comorbidity and also for a differential care of visuo-spatial and non-visuospatial forms of neurodevelopmental disorders.