Motor Impairments in Children Associated With Impairments of Speech or Language: A Meta-Analytic Review of Research Literature

Kinsuk Maitra, PhD, OTR/L, is Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy Department, Rush University Medical Center, 600 South Paulina, Suite 1011, Chicago, IL 60612; [email protected] OBJECTIVE. We investigated the co-occurrence of motor impairments in children with speech and language impairments. METHOD. Three search strategies produced 16 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. These 16 studies yielded 110 effect sizes (d). Heterogeneity was evaluated by obtaining Q and I-squared values. RESULTS. Children with speech and language impairments made more motor errors than children without impairments, with a statistically significant large effect size (d = 1.23, p < .001). Statistically significant medium effects between groups were found in terms of motor score (d = –0.61, p < .001) and motor time (d = 0.47, p < .001). Heterogeneity was statistically significant for all three measurements of motor abilities. DISCUSSION. Deficits in specific speech and language disorders were associated with motor impairments. This finding might be important for the development of daily living and academic skills in children with speech and language impairments.