“Cognition and Motor Skills in Children with and without DCD and ADHD (KoMoDA)”

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are two interrelated and frequently co-occurring neurodevelopmental disorders that impact motor and cognitive skills. Due to overlapping characteristics, distinguishing the specific impairments between DCD and ADHD poses a challenge. However, this distinction is essential to avoid misdiagnoses and select appropriate therapeutic approaches. This project addresses this issue with a multimodal approach that examines the motor and cognitive impairments of DCD and ADHD using a dual-task paradigm. The paradigm involves the inhibition of motor impulses while walking with measurement of concurrent brain in children with DCD, ADHD, DCD+ADHD, and typical development. When cognitive and motor components are separated, we expect that motor impairments will be primarily associated with DCD and cognitive impairments primarily with ADHD.