Imagine That! Mental Training for Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Scott, Matthew W, Wood, Greg ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0851-7090, Holmes, Paul S, Marshall, Ben, Williams, Jacqueline and Wright, David J (2021) Imagine That! Mental Training for Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder. Frontiers for Young Minds, 9.

Preview

Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (579kB) | Preview

Abstract

Movement is important for children’s health and well-being. Most children find it easy to learn to move but children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) find it hard. It can be tricky for them to plan and control their movements. DCD affects 1 in every 20 children. It makes important tasks difficult, like getting dressed or playing games and sports. Scientists have found that children with DCD have different activity in some brain areas compared to other children. Mental training can increase activity in these areas of the brain. One type of mental training is motor imagery, which involves imagining doing movements. Another type of mental training is action observation, which involves carefully watching how people make certain movements. These techniques can help children with DCD get better at moving. This means that doing mental training might help make life easier for children with DCD.