PURPOSE: Previous research has demonstrated that aerobic fitness and adiposity impact children’s cognitive function. However, whether children’s motor skills independently impact childhood cognition remains unclear. This study examined relationships between children’s motor skills and executive function, relational memory, and academic achievement among school-aged children without diagnosed coordination disorder. METHODS: Participants were children ages 7-12 years old (N=90 [46 females]). Intellectual abilities and academic achievement were measured using the Woodcock-Johnson IV Test (WCJ). Selective attention was assessed using a Flanker task, and relational memory was assessed using a spatial reconstruction task. Aerobic fitness and whole-body adiposity (%Fat) were assessed using a VO2max test and DXA, respectively. Parents completed the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) as an assessment of the child’s current motor skill abilities. Spearman and partial spearman correlation tests were conducted to explore potential relationships. RESULTS: 14% of participants indicated a possible developmental coordination disorder and 50% had a score of 67 and above on the DCDQ. Covariates adjusted for included sex, IQ, socioeconomic status (SES), fitness, and %Fat. Following adjustment, higher scores on the control during movement subscale of the DCDQ were related to greater performance in story recall (Rho= 0.29; P=0.039), a subscale of the WCJ. There was no significant relationship between relational memory and any of the DCDQ outcomes. However, higher scores on the control during movement subscale were related to lower accuracy interference during the Flanker task (Rho=-0.25; P=0.03), indicating that children who had higher motor control while moving exhibited greater selective attention, compared to those who had poorer control abilities during movement. CONCLUSION: Motor control abilities were associated with recall memory and attentional abilities in school-aged children, independent of aerobic fitness and adiposity.
Funding: This work was funded by the University of Illinois and the Egg Nutrition Center.