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

Purpose: The aim of the present study was twofold: to determine if deficits in
motor skill proficiency and learning were present in 2-year-old children identified
with early expressive language delay compared to peers without the delay, and
to distinguish how motor skill proficiency and learning behaviors may manifest
differently across culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Method: The study involved 54 children (24–36 months of age), 23 of whom
were identified as having an expressive language delay. Furthermore, 16 participants
were American and English-speaking and 38 were Israeli and Hebrew speaking.
After motor and language skill proficiency was assessed using a variety
of measures, each child and participating parent were introduced to a
nonsymmetrical-shaped insertion task so that motor learning skills could be
observed. This block insertion task was observed for each child at three time
points and included a transfer task (same task, new nonsymmetrical shape).
Results: Children with early expressive language delay were statistically significantly
more likely to exhibit deficits in fine-motor proficiency than peers without
language delay, regardless of country of origin or language spoken. Furthermore,
participants with language delay demonstrated significantly higher error
rates in transfer task completion compared with peers. Finally, participants in
the U.S. sample indicated lower fine-motor skills and higher error rates than
those in the Israeli sample.
Conclusion: Differences in motor skill proficiency were universally associated
with language delay status, indicating support for the notion that language
acquisition deficits may extend beyond the linguistic system even in young children
identified as late talkers.