Dynamics of Motor Skill Learning in American and Israeli Toddlers With Varied Language Proficiency

Abstract: Background: Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) exhibit
visual–motor deficits affecting handwriting. Shape tracing, a key prerequisite for handwriting,
supports motor and cognitive development but remains underexplored in research,
particularly in objectively studying its role in children with DCD. Objectives: To compare
the kinetics (pressure applied to the writing surface) and kinematics (spatial and temporal
aspects) of shape tracing in children with pDCD to those of typically developing (TD) peers
utilizing a digitized tablet. Methods: A total of 27 children with pDCD aged 7 to 12 years
and 27 TD children matched by age and gender traced five unique shapes resembling print
letters onto a digitized tablet. Participants’ performance measurements included precision,
time, smoothness, velocity, and pressure. Results: The findings revealed lower precision,
longer duration, more smoothness but less consistency, lower velocity, and less pressure
application in the pDCD group. Conclusions: This research underlies the mechanisms of
shape-tracing difficulties in children with DCD. Insights into early shape-tracing processes
beyond product outcomes are essential for therapeutic and educational interventions,
with digitized tablets offering a novel tool for assessing graphomotor skills in children
with DCD.