Effects of Martial Arts Intervention in Children and Young People with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD): A Systematic Review

TL;DR

Martial arts interventions improve motor skills and coordination in children with developmental coordination disorder, safely and effectively.

Contribution

This systematic review identifies martial arts as a novel complementary intervention for improving motor competence in children with DCD.

Findings

Martial arts interventions significantly improve motor skills, balance, muscle strength, and coordination in children with DCD.

No adverse effects were reported, supporting the safety of martial arts as an intervention strategy.

Improvements in coordination were maintained at a 3-month follow-up in one study.

Abstract

What are the main findings?
Martial arts-based interventions were associated with significant improvements in children and adolescents with DCD, particularly in overall motor skills, balance, muscle strength, and coordination.No adverse effects were reported in the included studies, reinforcing the safety and applicability of martial arts (MA) practice as complementary intervention strategies in DCD.

Martial arts-based interventions were associated with significant improvements in children and adolescents with DCD, particularly in overall motor skills, balance, muscle strength, and coordination.

No adverse effects were reported in the included studies, reinforcing the safety and applicability of martial arts (MA) practice as complementary intervention strategies in DCD.

What are the implications of the main findings?
MAs can be integrated as a complementary therapeutic strategy in clinical and school settings for children with DCD.Professional supervision and progressive structuring of sessions are essential to ensure effectiveness and safety.

MAs can be integrated as a complementary therapeutic strategy in clinical and school settings for children with DCD.

Professional supervision and progressive structuring of sessions are essential to ensure effectiveness and safety.

Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental motor disorder characterised by marked difficulties in the acquisition and execution of motor skills, substantially affecting daily activities and quality of life. Martial arts (MAs), due to their multi-skilled nature, have been studied as possible intervention strategies to improve motor competence and functionality in children with DCD. Objectives: The present systematic review aimed to explore the effects of MA practice in children and adolescents with DCD, identifying the benefits, methodological characteristics and practical implications of existing interventions. Methods: The search was conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases, following the PRISMA 2021 guidelines, using the keywords (developmental coordination disorder OR DCD OR dyspraxia) AND (karate OR judo OR taekwondo OR aikido OR martial art) AND (child OR preschool). Experimental and quasi-experimental studies that applied MA programmes to children and adolescents (≤18 years) with a confirmed diagnosis of DCD were included. Results: Of the 1834 identified records, five studies met the inclusion criteria. The MA modalities examined were karate, tai chi, and taekwondo. Across studies (n per study = 16–145), MA-based programmes consistently yielded significant pre- to post-intervention improvements in overall motor competence (MC), balance, muscle strength, and coordination; one study reported maintenance of coordination gains at 3-month follow-up. Methodological quality assessed with the Downs and Black checklist ranged from fair to good (scores = 18–22). No adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Based on the included studies, MA interventions demonstrate potential as an effective motor intervention approach for children and adolescents with DCD. Findings consistently indicated significant improvements in motor competence, balance, muscle strength, and coordination, with additional benefits observed in cognitive and psychosocial domains and no reported adverse effects.

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