Nitta O.1, Matsuda T.2, Koyama T.3, Furukawa Y.4, Shida N.4
1Tokyo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo, Japan, 2Uekusa Gakuen University, Physicaltherapy, Chiba, Japan, 3Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan, 4Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
Background: Neurodevelopmental disorder is widely recognized as communication and learning disabilities. However, motor development should also be meticulously evaluated. Some reports have indicated that children with motor developmental disabilities show lack of skill and stiffness. These children also show immature motor imagery. Motor imagery problem has been regarded as a factor for such awkwardness of gross motions. Thus, to design an effective motor instruction program for children with neurodevelopmental disorder, the relationship between motor imagery and motor development in children must be clarified.
Purpose: The present study was designed to have a better understanding of the relationship between chronological age and motor imagery in school age children.
Methods: The 59 subjects were typically developing children aged 6-12 years. Informed consent was obtained from the children and their parents.On evaluating motor imagery, the subjects and the evaluators faced each other. Instructions for the children to take a standard posture, and to change their posture into 2 stages were given orally. The postural changes included positional changes in the extremities, body trunk, and neck. Finally, from 5 photos shown on the desk, the subjects were made to choose a picture. According to the chosen picture, which indicated the degree of difficulty due to the postural complexity, the evaluators evaluated the picture on a maximum of 25 points. The evaluation tool (Criteria for motor imagery for children: CMI) has been previously developed for this reearch, and it was reported in the 9th World Congress of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine in 2015.
The reliability of the evaluation method was confirmed. Cronbachs alpha for the childrens CMI for was 0.829. As for the testretest reliability score for the subgroup of 13 subjects at one-month follow-up, the ICC was 0.85 (95% CI = 0.610.95).The relationship between chronological age and CMI score was examined by using Pearson correlation coefficients. The score difference according to age was analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Scheffes test was used for multiple comparison.
Results: The mean of each age was as follows. The mean in 9 of 6-year old children was 21.89 (SD0.78). 12 of 7-year old´s was 22.58 (SD1.38). 7 of 8-year old´s was 23.27 (SD1.27). 4 of 9-year old´s was 22.75 (SD1.71). 7 of 10-year old´s was 23.86 (SD0.38). 6 of 11-year old´s was 24.50 (SD0.55). 5 of 12-year old´s was 24.60 (SD0.55). The correlation coefficient was 0.78. The result of ANOVA indicated that the score changes according to age. The results of multiple comparison were as follows. The mean for groups in homogeneous subsets showed 2 groups. One was a group from 6 years old to 10 years old. The other was a group from 7 years old to 12 years old.
Conclusion(s): The result indicated that motor imagery maturity proceeds in school age period.
Implications: This study suggested the feasibility of evaluating the degree of maturity of motor imagery in children with neurodevelopmental disorder by the criteria employed in this study.
Funding acknowledgements: The motor imagery maturity proceeds in school age period.
Topic: Paediatrics
Ethics approval: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tokyo Metropolitan University.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
