Catching skills in preschool boys with motor difficulties
Motor Coordination During Catching of a Moving Object in Preschool Children as the Indicator of Motor Development
This project tests whether preschool boys with motor difficulties plan and adjust their arm and body movements differently than typically developing boys when catching a moving object.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 40 (estimated) |
| Ages | 4 Years to 7 Years |
| Sex | Male |
| Sponsor | Masaryk University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Pardubice, Česká Republika) |
| Trial ID | NCT07028762 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Researchers will compare 60 boys aged 4.0–7.0 who are typically developing or at risk for Developmental Coordination Disorder using a cross-sectional experimental design. Children perform a bimanual interception task that requires stopping a foam pendulum moving horizontally along a rod under two time constraints while upper limb kinematics and center of pressure (COP) displacement are recorded. The task measures both predictive mechanisms (anticipatory postural adjustments) and online feedback corrections during a time-sensitive catching action. The project is conducted at the Faculty of Sports Studies, Masaryk University, in cooperation with the Lentilka integration and rehabilitation center in Pardubice, Czech Republic.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Preschool boys aged 4.0–7.0 years who are typically developing or identified as having motor coordination difficulties and who can follow simple instructions and perform a catching task.
Not a fit: Children with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, uncorrected vision or hearing loss, neurological, psychiatric, behavioral, or orthopedic conditions are excluded and would not be eligible to participate or benefit from this protocol.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, results could improve early identification and inform more effective diagnostic, educational, and rehabilitation strategies for children at risk of DCD.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has documented motor planning and anticipatory postural deficits in children with DCD, though the specific pendulum-based interception task used here is a relatively novel experimental approach.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 4.0 and 7.0 years (preschool age) * Male sex * Motor performance within the defined inclusion range based on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - 2nd Edition (MABC-2) * Typically developing children (as assessed by educators or therapists), or * Children identified as having motor coordination difficulties Exclusion Criteria: * Children with intellectual disability * autism spectrum disorder * uncorrected vision impairment * hearing loss * neurological or psychiatric conditions, behavioral disorders, or orthopedic limitations will be excluded.
Where this trial is running
Pardubice, Česká Republika
- Lentilka - integrated kindergarden and rehabilitation center — Pardubice, Česká Republika, Czechia (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Lukáš Teply, Master degree
- Email: l.teply@seznam.cz
- Phone: +420776845807
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.