Comparing upper limb and bilateral coordination of age and sex matched adolescents with intellectual disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether sex differences exist in upper limb coordination (ULC) and bilateral coordination (BLC) in adolescents with intellectual Disability (ID). A total of 149 male and 96 female adolescents (12-17 yrs) with ID, matched in age, participated in this study. Six ULC items (dropping and catching ball-one/two hands; catching tossed ball-one/two hands; and dribbling ball-one/two hands) and six BLC items (touching nose with finger; jumping jacks; jumping in place same/opposite sides synchronized; and tapping feet and fingers, same/opposite side synchronized) from the The Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2) were used to evaluate coordination. A minimum of 10 assessments in each age group were required for data analysis. For all test items in all age groups, no significant (p<.05) differences were found between genders. Results indicate no sex differences for ULC and BLC exists for adolescents with ID.