Motor Proficiency In Children Research Articles

Improving Motor Proficiency in Children with Developmental Delays: A Meta-Analysis Evaluating the Impact of Motor Skills Interventions

This study investigated the impact of motor skill interventions in improving motor proficiency among children with developmental delays following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis “PRISMA” recommendations. The included studies were searched on four databases: Google Scholar, PEDro, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library. Studies published during the year 2012 to 2022 were selected. The data was extracted by defining the publication year, type of study design, targeted population, and type of physical therapy intervention. The outcome measures included four components of motor proficiency: bilateral coordination, balance, speed and agility, and strength. The results revealed statistically significant findings and a large effect size for bilateral coordination (SMD=1.003, CI=95%) and speed and agility (SMD=0.854, CI=95%). However, a smaller effect size with significant findings was observed in the balance domains (SMD=0.333, CI=95%) and strength (SMD=0.337, CI=95%). Despite the promising results of the analyzed interventions, some of the included studies observed a high risk of bias. However, it is evident from the analysis that protocols directed toward advanced approaches have shown more promising results than traditional physical exercise regimens.

The Effect of Physical Activity Intervention on Motor Proficiency in Children and Adolescents with ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a frequently diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents. The objective of this review was to synthesize empirical studies that investigated the effects of physical activity (PA) on motor proficiency in this population. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the cochrane guidelines for systematic reviews. In May 2022, a systematic search of eight electronic databases retrieved 476 results, which were screened independently by two reviewers. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 studies were selected for systematic review, and 10 were included in the meta-analysis. A beneficial effect of PA on overall motor proficiency (SMD = 1.12; 95% CI [0.63 to 1.61]; p < 0.05) was observed. Similar positive effects were found for motor proficiency composites, including object control, fine manual control, and body coordination. These results indicate that PA improves the motor proficiency of children and adolescents with ADHD.

Fine and gross motor skills in 7-10years old Indian children exposed to a natural disaster during early development.

Fetal life and infancy are extremely sensitive to adverse environmental conditions. This study aimed to assess the effect of exposure to a natural disaster (cyclone Aila) in utero or during infancy on fine and gross motor functions in preadolescent Indian children. The study was conducted in West Bengal, India, and included approximately 700 children (7-10 years old) who were prenatally or postnatally exposed to cyclone Aila and a nonaffected group. Anthropometric measures included height, weight, and birthweight. Socioeconomic status was based on parental education, family size, and income. Motor functions were assessed using the short form of Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2). Statistical analyses included, for example, generalized linear models. There were no differences in motor functions relative to the timing of the exposure (trimester) during pregnancy. Compared to the controls, prenatal Aila exposure resulted in poorer performance in all BOT-2 subtests, except for fine motor precision, strength, and balance (the last in boys), while postnatal Aila exposure, compared to the controls, resulted in poorer performance in manual dexterity, bilateral coordination, balance (girls only), andspeed and agility. Early life exposure to a natural disaster has long-term adverse effect on motor proficiency in children. By inference, the welfare of pregnant women and infants should be of particular concern for emergency and health services during an environmental cataclysm.

The Effect of a Physical Exercise Package on the Motor Proficiency of Students with Down Syndrome

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and potential effect of a physical exercise package on the motor proficiency of children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Methods: In this research, an experimental design was conducted in two special schools to evaluate the effectiveness of this package and identify its strengths and weaknesses. Forty students with Down syndrome were selected and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. A total of 36 (22 male and 14 female) students out of 50 at two special schools for children with special needs between October 2020 and March 2021 were recruited for the study. Participants were aged 12.888 ± 2.375 (12.954 ± 2.609 for boys and 12.785 ± 2.044 for girls) years. The 18 students in the intervention group participated in the exercise sessions, 2 or 3 sessions per week for 12 weeks. Pre- and post-tests were performed on both groups. The Physical Exercise Package included the principles of exercise, the preferred exercise methods, and the details of exercise planning for Down syndrome individuals (FITT-VP) based on the etiology of Down syndrome and the characteristics of people with this syndrome. Motor proficiency was measured using the Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2). Results: The results of the study showed that the designed exercise package was adhered to with all the participants attending 93.2% of the sessions, and participants significantly improved their total motor proficiency score, manual dexterity, upper-limb coordination, strength, balance, upper-limb coordination, running speed and agility and fine motor Integration (P &lt; 0.05). However, the exercises did not significantly change the bilateral coordination and fine motor precision (P &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: the current study result shows that developing and implementing the individualized exercise package and observing the principles set out in the program could have significant positive impacts on the motor proficiency of students with Down syndrome.

Effectiveness of Peabody Developmental Motor Scale-2 as an Outcome Measure: A Systematic Review

This review aimed to assess the utility of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale-2 (PDMS-2) as an outcome measure for evaluating the motor performance of children. A comprehensive search strategy was employed, utilizing Google Scholar, PubMed, and PEDro databases from 2010 to April 2021, focusing on studies incorporating PDMS-2 in pediatric physical therapy. Text words and medical subject headings terms guided the search process. Nineteen selected studies underwent evaluation using the PEDro checklist, where scores ranged from 0 to 10. Scores of 0–3 were deemed poor, 4–5 fair, 6–8 good, and 9–10 excellent. Results revealed varying levels of methodological quality among the studies: 3 scored fair (5/10), 3 scored good (6/10), and 8 achieved a good rating (8/10). Furthermore, 4 studies received a high rating (9/10), while 1 study attained an excellent score (10/10). These scores reflected the internal and structural validity of the individual studies. The synthesis of findings suggests that PDMS-2 emerges as a reliable and valid assessment tool for measuring motor proficiency in children. Notably, the test’s ease of administration further enhances its broad feasibility. In conclusion, PDMS-2 proves to be an efficient outcome measure, exhibiting potential for evaluating improvements in motor skills and overall developmental progress in children.

The effect of perceptual-motor exercise on temporal dynamics of cognitive inhibition control in children with developmental coordination disorder

BackgroundChildren with Developmental coordination disorders (DCD; or motor clumsiness) have poor executive function (especially inhibitory control) and idiopathic neural underpinnings deficit. Some studies have shown that motor-demanding physical exercise has positive effects on the executive function of these children. AimThe purpose of this study was to perform a temporal dynamics survey of EEG during inhibitory tasks by Event-Related Potential (ERP) before and after 21 sessions of perceptual-motor exercise. Methodsand Procedures: The samples comprised 24 boys aged 8 to 10 with DCD (mean age = 104.65, SD = 14.97 months). They were divided into experimental and control groups by matching motor proficiency scores. The experimental group was regularly trained in a series of 60-min sessions conducted three times a week (even days) for seven weeks. The participants completed both the ‘Go/No-go’ task and BOT-2 to assess inhibitory control and motor proficiency. Outcomes and resultsERP analyses suggested that occipital P1 latency, anterior NoGo-N2 latency, Infrequent-Go P3, and Infrequent-Go P3b latency were decreased significantly after perceptual-motor exercise intervention (p < 0.05) in the treatment group. Motor proficiency had significant positive changes in balance, bilateral coordination, upper limb coordination, response speed, visual-motor control, and dexterity of upper limbs (p < 0.05) in the treatment group. ConclusionsMedium-term perceptual-motor exercises may improve cognitive control of inhibition and motor proficiency in children with DCD, but the overall event-related potential pattern remained constant and it seemed related to the disorder's neural signature. Thus, the No-Go anterior N2 component reflects inhibition control improvement better than other ERP components.

How does visual praxis based occupational therapy program effect motor skills in children with hyperactivity and attention disorder? Single blind randomized study design

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized with problems such as; atypical attention skills increased impulsive behaviors at least two of the child’s areas of daily living. In studies investigating developmental aspect of the said problems of children with ADHD, it was stated that the children usually do not demonstrate normal development regarding the motor proficiency and may fall behind their peers in exhibiting normal motor performance. These problems in motor skills are said to cause a hindered development in complex skills which may result in; distorted body image, increased anxiety and poor social communication skills. This study’s aim was to investigate effects of a Visual-Praxis-based Occupational Therapy program (VPOT) on motor proficiency of children with ADHD. The 58 children who were included to the study were assigned numbers from 1 to 58 and randomized into two groups (the intervention group and the control group). Both groups were subjected to the Bruninks-Oserestry Test of Motor Proficiency 2–Brief Form (BOT2-BF). After the initial assessment, the participants in the intervention group were admitted into the VPOT program for a duration of 8 weeks with twice-weekly sessions of 45 minutes. End of the program, BOT2-BF was applied once more. The participants mean age was 8.44±1.39 years. There were no differences between the intervention and the control group in terms of age. When the BOT2-BF results for the intervention group were analyzed, it was found that there were significant differences between pre- and post-intervention scores of all sub-scores and the total score. Due to approaching the motor development aspect of ADHD within the context of motor proficiency and visual perception, this study can be considered to be one of the innovative and pioneer studies in the field and is positively unique regarding the usage of the intervention approach that was used.

Effect of Yoga on the Motor Proficiency of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Feasibility of its Inclusion in Special School Environments.

Yoga as a movement-based intervention is increasingly considered to improve the motor skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is little evidence of the effect of yoga on their motor skills. The current study aims to explore the effect of group yoga program on motor proficiency of children with ASD and feasibility of its inclusion in special schools. Forty-three children with ASD from four special schools were randomized into yoga (n = 23) and control (n = 20) group. A structured yoga program of 45min for 12weeks was delivered by trained yoga teachers who also tracked their daily responses. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Second Edition was used to assess both the groups pre- and postintervention. In conclusion, the study highlighted that yoga appears to have a positive impact on the gross motor rather than fine motor proficiency of children with ASD and is feasible to be delivered as group intervention in special schools.

Motor proficiency of children with developmental speech and language disorder and typically developing children aged 4–7 years: A comparative cross-sectional study

Background: Developmental speech and language disorder (DSLD) is characterized by delay in speech and language development in the absence of mental or physical handicap, hearing loss, emotional disorder, or environmental deprivation. Many nonlinguistic factors contribute to the expression of DSLD, one of them is motor proficiency. Some problems with motor proficiency were observed in children with DSLD when they were compared with typically developing children (TDC). Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the performance of DSLD children for motor proficiency using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition (BOT-2) and compare it with TDC. Study Design: A comparative, noninterventional, cross-sectional study. Methods: The study included 30 children with DSLD and 30 TDC aged 4–7 years. The study protocol was approved by the Institute Ethical Committee (ECARP/2017/21). A written informed consent form was signed by parents. All composites of BOT-2 were administered on both groups (fine manual control, manual coordination, body coordination, strength and agility). Scores obtained were compared between two groups for total motor composite as well as each subtest. Results: There was a significant difference between the performance of DSLD children and TDC on all the four composites, namely Fine Manual Control, Manual Coordination, Body Coordination, and Strength and Agility of BOT-2. Total motor composite score of DSLD children was significantly different from the scores of TDC at P = 0.000. Conclusion: Motor proficiency is significantly affected in children with DSLD as compared to TDC.

The Effect of Motor Imagery Training on Motor Proficiency of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Trial Study

The Effect of Motor Imagery Training on Motor Proficiency of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Trial Study

Effectiveness of active video game usage on body composition, physical activity level and motor proficiency in children with intellectual disability.

Interventions with active video games (AVGs) can promote physical activity (PA) and health and are compatible with a school setting. The needs of children with intellectual disability (ID) in this area have been neglected. A two-arm trial was conducted among 203 students with intellectual disability. The intervention group was prescribed a 12-week intervention with AVG. The control group continued with usual PA. Children's BOT-2 short-form score increased in both the intervention and control groups. However, the AVG intervention had no statistically significant effect on children's body composition, PA and motor proficiency overall, or in analyses of subgroups based on age, body weight and comorbid autism. Active video game intervention had no marked effect on body composition, PA and motor proficiency in children with intellectual disability. The reasons for the lack of effectivity of the intervention are discussed; these may provide better guidelines for future AVG intervention in children with intellectual disability.

Association between motor performance, cognitive maturity and socio-demographic aspects in preschooler children

The identification of low motor proficiency in children of preschool age allows intervention programs to be proposed, to minimize the losses in school activities, social relationships and Physical Education classes. Thus, identifying the factors underlying low motor performance is essential, in an attempt to reduce possible motor disorders. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between motor performance, cognitive maturity and sociodemographic aspects in preschool children from Paraná. The participants were 357 preschoolers from 3,5 years to 5 years. The Columbia Mental Maturity Scale, Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 test and a sociodemographic data sheet were used. For statistical analysis, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Friedman (Wilcoxon) and binary logistic regression tests (p&lt;0.05) were used. There was a high prevalence of low motor proficiency (16.8%), cognitive maturity (CM) on average age (67.2%) and socioeconomic level &gt;R$1,500, 00 (45.5%). A significant association was observed between higher CM and low motor proficiency, indicating the upper CM as a protective factor for low motor proficiency (OR 0.513 IC 95% 0,266-1,000). The socio-demographic factors were not intervening in the motor performance (MP). It was concluded that the upper CM in children in early childhood acts as a protective factor for the low motor proficiency and that the socio-demographic factors of the family were not associated with MP and the CM of the preschoolers.

Use of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency (BOT-2) to assess efficacy of velmanase alfa as enzyme therapy for alpha-mannosidosis

ObjectivesAlpha-mannosidosis is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder resulting from deficient lysosomal alpha-mannosidase activity. Clinical manifestations include progressive balance disorders, immune deficiency, skeletal abnormalities and cognitive deficits beginning in early childhood. Enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant human alpha-mannosidase (velmanase alfa) is scheduled for clinical development in the US beginning in 2020 and has been approved in the EU for treatment of non-neurological manifestations in cases of mild to moderate disease. This study assessed effects of velmanase alfa on fine and gross motor proficiency in children and adults. MethodsIntegrated Bruininks-Oseretsky (BOT-2) test of Motor Proficiency data from velmanase alfa clinical trials was stratified by age for 14 adults and 19 children treated for up to 4 years. ResultsPatients showed global developmental delays at baseline. For the combined adult and pediatric group there was a statistically significant increase (improvement) in BOT-2 total point score of 13% (p = .035, 95% CI 1.0, 25.0) from baseline to last observation. When stratified by pediatric versus adult patients, there was improvement in BOT-2 total point score in patients <18 years (mean percent increase from baseline to last observation 23%) compared to adults (mean decrease of −0.7%). Subtest analysis of individual BOT-2 items captured some improvement following velmanase alfa treatment in pediatric patients. ConclusionsThere was limited ability to assess the BOT-2 change responses in adults. Pediatric patients showed stability or improvement in scaled scores relative to healthy peers, indicating continued skill acquisition, which may increase independence and contribute to improved patient quality of life.

Movement difficulties in children with ADHD: Comparing the long‐ and short‐form Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency—Second Edition (BOT‐2)

Up to 50% of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also present with difficulties with motor proficiency. Several assessments of motor proficiency are available for occupational therapists, though the validity of these measures in an ADHD population requires further exploration. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the consistency of scores obtained using the long-form and short-form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Second Edition (BOT-2) in a school-age ADHD sample. The BOT-2 long-form was administered to 84 school-age children (78 males) with ADHD; short-form scores were extracted from the relevant long-form items. Long-form and short-form total scores were highly correlated (r=.87), though the average short-form score was significantly higher. As a categorical measure, 52 children were classified as "at-risk" for movement difficulties by the long-form; but only 36 by the short-form, yielding a false-negative rate of 30.77%. The sensitivity of short-form could be improved by raising the cut-off thresholds of short-form scores as identified by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis but did not yield practical utility. As a continuous indicator (i.e. total scores), the short-form is comparable to the long-form. However, the short-form overestimates the child's motor proficiency relative to the long-form and yields an unacceptably high rate of false negatives as a categorical measure. The current revision of the short-form is therefore not recommended as a screening nor diagnostic instrument in an ADHD population. In the absence of ADHD-specific norms, use of the long-form provides greater opportunity for occupational therapists to identify those at-risk for movement difficulties. However, any assessment of motor proficiency should be accompanied by a broader comprehensive assessment to best understand a child's motor functioning.

Superior Visual Search and Crowding Abilities Are Not Characteristic of All Individuals on the Autism Spectrum.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often excel on visual search and crowding tasks; however, inconsistent findings suggest that this 'islet of ability' may not be characteristic of the entire spectrum. We examined whether performance on these tasks changed as a function of motor proficiency in children with varying levels of ASD symptomology. Children with high ASD symptomology outperformed all others on complex visual search tasks, but only if their motor skills were rated at, or above, age expectations. For the visual crowding task, children with high ASD symptomology and superior motor skills exhibited enhanced target discrimination, whereas those with high ASD symptomology but poor motor skills experienced deficits. These findings may resolve some of the discrepancies in the literature.

Neuromotor development in children. Part 4: new norms from 3 to 18 years

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to provide normative data for motor proficiency (motor performance and contralateral associated movements [CAMs]) in typically developing children between 3 years and 18 years of age using an updated version of the Zurich Neuromotor Assessment (ZNA-2). Six-hundred and sixteen typically developing children between 3 years and 18 years of age were enrolled from day-care centres, kindergartens, and schools, and were tested using the ZNA-2 with improved items of the original battery. Motor proficiency was assessed on five components (fine motor tasks, pure motor tasks, static balance, dynamic balance, and CAMs) as a function of age and sex to determine centile curves for each task. Intraobserver, interobserver, and test-retest reliabilities were evaluated. Most ZNA-2 tasks featured a marked developmental trend and substantial interindividual variability. Test-retest reliability was generally high (e.g. static balance 0.67; CAMs 0.81; and total scores 0.84). The ZNA-2 is a reliable and updated test instrument to measure motor proficiency in children from 3 to 18 years with improved properties for assessing motor performance. It allows continuous measurement without changing items for the entire age range; this feature of the ZNA-2 is unique and makes the instrument suitable for clinical purposes. The reduction of CAMs scoring simplifies the clinical procedure and increases its reliability. The Zurich Neuromotor Assessment, Second Edition (ZNA-2) provides new norms for motor proficiency in children between 3 years and 18 years. High reliabilities suggest that the revised test battery is a useful tool for assessing neuromotor development. Integration of a 'not able to perform' category makes the ZNA-2 suitable for clinical purposes.

VARIÁVEIS QUE PODEM EXPLICAR MUDANÇAS NO DESEMPENHO MOTOR DE CRIANÇAS COM DESORDEM COORDENATIVA DESENVOLVIMENTAL E DESENVOLVIMENTO TÍPICO

The aim this study is investigate the relations among important factors regarding to motor development, body mass index and daily activities of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, at risk of DCD and typically developing children before and after an motor intervention. Participants were 48 children (5 to 7 year-old) designed in intervention group (n=24) and control group (n=24) assessed using the MABC-2, MABC-2 Checklist, body mass index (BMI) and abdominal circumference. At pre test were found significant and positive correlation between motor development and BMI for all participants and for children with DCD. At the post test, for all children and for children in risk of DCD, significant and positive correlations were found between motor development and section B of check list. Intervention programs contribute to minimize the influence of risk factors in the achievement of motor proficiency of children with and without motor delays.

Adapted taekwondo training for skeletal development and motor proficiency in prepubertal children with developmental coordination disorder: a randomised controlled trial

BackgroundDevelopmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental movement disorder that affects 5–8% of primary school-aged children in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. These children have a delay in skeletal development associated with reduced activity level. Taekwondo training has been acknowledged to improve bone health in young individuals. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a novel, adapted taekwondo training regime on skeletal development and motor proficiency in children with DCD. MethodsIn this single-blinded, randomised controlled trial, prepubertal children with DCD were recruited from schools and non-governmental organisations in Hong Kong. They were randomly allocated to either taekwondo or control groups using computer-generated random codes. Children in the taekwondo group participated in a weekly 1 h adapted taekwondo training programme and daily taekwondo home exercises for 12 weeks. The control group participated in a daily jogging intervention. Data were collected at baseline, post-test, and 3 months after the intervention was initiated (follow-up test). The primary outcome was the ultrasonic bone age, and the secondary outcomes were the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) total motor impairment score and balance impairment subscore. Data analysis was based on intention to treat. The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02635711). Ethics approval was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Hong Kong. Written informed consent was obtained from both children and parents. Findings145 children with DCD were recruited and randomly assigned to the taekwondo group (n=51; mean age 7·4 years, SD 1·2 years; 45 boys and 6 girls) and the control groups (n=94; mean age 7·5 years, SD 1·2 years; 76 boys and 18 girls). The demographics were well balanced between the two groups, but children in the control group had an older mean ultrasonic bone age at baseline (treated as a covariate). Two-way repeated measures analysis of covariance results revealed that ultrasonic bone age increased similarly (F1.6,220.6=5·806, 95% CI 7·34–7·61; p=0·006; ηp2 =0·04), and MABC total motor impairment score decreased similarly (F2,286=25·430, 95% CI 16·61–19·42; p<0·0001; ηp2 = 0·15) from baseline to follow-up in both groups. The MABC balance impairment subscore fell differentially by 0·95 points (22·1%) in the taekwondo group from baseline to follow-up test (p=0·019; 95% CI 0·16–1·74). No adverse events were reported. InterpretationThe 3 month adapted taekwondo programme improved functional balance performance in children with DCD. However, with respect to skeletal development and general motor proficiency, the effect of maturation might be more profound than that of taekwondo. Further studies could increase the taekwondo training duration and use bone growth as a biomarker instead of ultrasonic bone age. FundingHealth and Medical Research Fund (13142081), Food and Health Bureau of Hong Kong Government.

The Effect of Movement Activities in Synchronization With Music on Motor Proficiency of Children With Autism

Objectives: Although social deficits are the main features of autism, children in autism spectrum disorder often too display difficulties with posture, coordination and motor planning. As such, poor motor skills are believed to be associated with greater difficulties in social communication. Some recent studies show that music can improve the sensory processing and motor functions by affecting brain connectivity. The present study aims to examine the effect of movement activities in synchronization with music on motor proficiency of 7 to 14 years old children with low functioning autism.Materials & Methods: A double-blind randomized controlled trial design was used in this study. Twenty two subjects participated in the study and assigned into experimental and control groups randomly. The interventions consisted of movement activities with music for experimental group and without music for control group. Motor proficiency of subjects such as balance performance, bilateral coordination and upper limb coordination were assessed by trained independent evaluator before the treatment and also after 12th and 24th therapeutic sessions using 3 subtests of Bruininks- Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP). The effect of interventions in two groups were compared by repeated measures ANOVA. Results: The results indicated that both interventions improved motor performance in the participants but the effects of interventions on balance performance (P<0.001), bilateral coordination (P<0.05) and upper limb coordination (P<0.001) were significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Movement therapy is beneficial for children with autism, but movement activities in synchronization with music can accelerate improvements in motor proficiency of these children.

Associations between motor proficiency in children with history of maltreatment and living in social economically vulnerability

Maltreatment and living in poor socioeconomic conditions during childhood may implicate in deficits on motor proficiency, nevertheless, the literature on this issue is still scarce. The goal of the study was to investigate the possible associations among manual dexterity, aiming and catching tasks, and balance tasks for children who suffers maltreatment and lived in social vulnerability. Eighty-two (82) children (08-09 years old) participated in the study. Forty-one (41) belong to the (SEV-M Group) children living in social economic vulnerability and were previously maltreated (lived in foster homes as results of parental neglect and domestic violence), and 41 belong to the (SEV Group) children living in social economical vulnerability with no history of childhood maltreatment. Children were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children –2nd Edition. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the data. The results suggest the existence of a variety of motor difficulties in the group of children who suffered from neglect and domestic violence. The statistics model showed a negative effect for children in at-risk environments (regression coefficient=−0.30) and only showed a significant effect (p=0.04) for balance abilities. Traumatic experiences may have a negative effect on children’ balance proficiency.