Motor characteristics of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Introduction: Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) present accented motor difficulties and possibly present the Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) as co-occurring. Objective: Identify the motor profile of students with interdisciplinary diagnosis of ADHD, compare with students with good academic performance, and to verify the incidence of DCD in this population. Method: 46 students of both genders participated in the study, in the age range of 7 to 10 years and 11 months, attending from the 1st to the 5th year of elementary school at public schools in cities of Sao Paulo state. The students were divided into two groups: Group I (GI) included 23 students with ADHD; Group II (GII) included 23 students with good academic performance. The students were paired according to gender and age. The groups experienced motor assessment (Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition /MABC-2). MABC Test consisted of eight items grouped into three sections (manual dexterity, aiming and catching, and balance), parents/caregivers responded questions about the Economic Classification questionnaire. Results: The results were statistically analyzed in order to characterize and compare the motor profile of the students, intra, and intergroup. The results showed that 43.38% in GI presented indicative of DCD, whereas, in GII, none of the students presented indicative of DCD. However, it is possible to highlight an incidence of DCD in the population with ADHD in about 43%. Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of actions to assist and early diagnose this population by teachers, health professionals, and family, improving the life quality of these children.