The Effect of Combined Core Stability and Coordination Exercises on the Motor skills of Intellectual Disability with Developmental Coordination Disorders

Purpose: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is common among intellectual disability children that can worsen motor problems, especially motor skills. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of combining core stability exercises with coordination exercises on Motor Proficiency of the intellectual disability children with DCD. Methods: The population was intellectual disability boys with DCD studying in Golestan School of Tabriz randomly divided into two groups of 15 subjects in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. Motor skills were evaluated using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Short Form in the pre- and post-test. The experimental group performed three sessions (every week) of 60 minutes of combined core stability with coordination training for eight weeks. SPSS21, dependent t-test and analysis of covariance at the significance level of P <0.05 were used for statistical analysis. Results: Comparing the means of the two groups showed a positive significant difference in running speed and agility (p = 0.001), balance (p = 0.001), two-way coordination (p = 0.001), strength (p = 0.001), upper limb coordination (p = 0.001), response speed (p = 0.001), speed motor vision control(p = 0.001), upper limb agility(p = 0.001), and the overall gross and fine motor skills scores (P = 0.001) and the combined score of the short test (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The results indicated that the combining core stability with coordination training program can be used to enhance the motor skills of the intellectual disability children with DCD. Thus, sports coaches and experts and specialists in other related fields are recommended using these exercises to enhance the gross and fine motor skills of intellectual disability students, especially those with DCDs.