Gross motor skills of primary school children with and without dyslexia

Background: Over the last few years, the notion that dyslexia is a learning disability, which initially appears as a difficulty in reading learning and later as unstable in spelled writing and as a lack of ability to manipulate written words in opposed to oral speech. The situation is essentially cognitive and usually genetic. It is not due to a mental deficiency, a lack of socio-cultural opportunity, emotional factors, or another brain building deficit. A large proportion of children with dyslexia are experiencing motor difficulties such as developmental coordination disorder. However, few studies have examined the qualitative gross motor skill performance of children with dyslexia. The development of gross motor skills through targeted physical education programs and instruction is of crucial importance for children’s further motor as well as overall development both in school and in everyday life. Thus, further research into children's gross motor skills is considered necessary. Object: The purpose of this study was to compare the motor skills of students with and without Dyslexia in children aged 9-12 years. Methods: 120 children with and without Dyslexia 9-12 years of age from the fourth grade (Mage=9.28), fifth grade (Mage=10.32), and sixth grade (Mage=11.18) participated. The 'Test of Gross Motor Development' test [1] was used for the qualitative evaluation of gross motor skills. Results: The results showed that in both skill categories children with dyslexia exhibited significantly lower motor performance than children without dyslexia, in each grade and in general. Also, dyslexic children in fourth and fifth grade had better performance than those in sixth grade. Conclusion: Children with dyslexia have difficulty in the qualitative performance of gross motor skills. As this may affect their social development and academic performance, it is necessary to make appropriate adjustments to the design and implementation of Physical Education lesson.