The aims of this study were to investigate fine motor skills of children with both
attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (
ADHD) and
developmental coordination disorder (
DCD) and those of a control group, and to examine the effects of
methylphenidate on these skills. A group of 12 children with
ADHD-
DCD (11 males, one female; mean age 9y 8mo [SD 1y 7mo]) and 12 age- and sex-matched controls (mean age 9y 7mo [SD 1y 2 mo]) participated. The manual dexterity subtests of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, the concise assessment method for children's handwriting, and a computerized graphomotor task were used. Results demonstrated that children with
ADHD-
DCD performed more poorly on the manual dexterity subtests, had poorer quality of handwriting, and drew more rapidly, more fluently, but less accurately than controls on the graphomotor task. On
methylphenidate, manual dexterity and quality of handwriting improved, and
strokes on the graphomotor task became less fluent but more accurate.
ADHD is characterized by persistent symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, affecting 3 to 5% of school-age children. Up to 50% of children with
ADHD also have motor coordination problems that are severe enough to meet criteria for
DCD. In
DCD, children demonstrate functional motor performance deficits not explained by the child's (chronological) age or intellect, or by other neurological or
psychiatric disorders.