Trouble développemental de la coordination et schéma corporel : l’entraînement du couplage perception-action en intervention psychomotrice

Hypothesis

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is explained by a defect of the perception-action coupling (PAC) prior to the intentional motor disorder, thus disrupting internal representations including the body schema. The study postulated that training the PAC through motor dissociation exercises would help children with DCD to implicitly develop their body schema (i.e., a function-oriented intervention with a bottom-up approach), observable through motor skills, spatial functions and self-perception.

Method

A remote intervention was proposed to 13 children, aged 7 to 10 years, with DCD. Twice a week, for eight weeks, they watched video sessions each composed of an exercise of adaptation of the temporal adjustment of a motor pattern, an exercise of succession of segmental positions or of combination of distinct simultaneous movements, and an exercise of stabilization of an object on oneself during a postural sequence.

Results

The practice of motor dissociations in the exercises allowed the children to significantly improve their motor skills (e.g., balance, jumping, coordination, manual speed and precision), spatial functions (e.g., mental rotation and visuo-constructive praxis) and self-perception (e.g., perceived physical appearance) with effect sizes ranging from moderate to high: min.: d = 0.549 and P = 0.048; max.: d = 0.883 and P = 0.001.

Conclusion

The results suggest that PAC training refines sensorimotor representations with transfer effects on motor skills, spatial functions and self-perception. Future studies should confirm this interpretation. In summary, the study shows the effectiveness of a remote intervention in rehabilitation, validates the bottom-up approach, and underlines the importance of supporting children with DCD in the development of their body schema.