Motor Skills Disorder

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Medical Author:

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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• Motors Skills Disorder Overview
• Motor Skills Disorder Causes
• Motor Skills Disorder Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Questions to Ask the Doctor
• Exams and Tests
• Motor Skills Disorder Treatment
• Self Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Next Steps
• Follow-Up
• Prevention
• Outlook
• Support Groups and Counseling
• For More Information
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors

Motor skills disorder, also called motor coordination disorder or motor dyspraxia, is a common disorder of childhood. It is estimated to be present in about 6% of school age children (between ages 5 and 11 yrs).

• Children with this disorder have associated problems including difficulty in processing visuospatial information needed to guide their motor actions they may not be able to recall or plan complex motor activities such as:
  
  
  • dancing,
    
    
  • doing gymnastics,
    
    
  • catching or throwing a ball with accuracy, or
    
    
  • producing fluent legible handwriting.
    
  
  
  
• Often there is a history of early delay in the development of motor skills. This may present as a delay in the ability to sit up or learning to walk well.
  
  
• Often, these children are described as clumsy or forgetful, (for example, they may never turn the water faucet or lights off).
  
  
• These children may have difficulty using a cup, spoon or fork to eat.
  
  
• They may have the tendency to drop items or run into walls/furniture and have frequent accidents due to motor planning difficulties.
  
  
• They may have trouble with tasks requiring hand-eye coordination and dexterity (hammering a nail, connecting wires etc.).
  
  
• These children may also have difficulty holding a pencil and learning to write.

Motor skills disorder can be extremely disabling both in academic settings (school) as well as in everyday life due to impairment of functioning. Children and adults with this disorder are at risk for obesity, due to the higher rates of physical inactivity, and often suffer from low self-esteem as well as academic underachievement.

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