Diminished motor timing control in children referred for diagnosis of learning problems

Disabled readers exhibit motor timing control (MTC) deficits in bimanual co ordination relative to average readers. This article evaluates to what exte nt poor MTC is specific to reading or if it is related to learning problems in general. Children (7 to 11 years of age) referred for learning impairme nt (LI; n = 100) and same-age children nonlearning impaired (NLI; n = 243) performed a paced finger-tapping task. Greater variability of interresponse intervals was associated with poorer reading, spelling, and arithmetic ach ievement. The LI group performed more poorly than the NLI group, a differen ce that persisted even after adjusting for reading skill. poor MTC is assoc iated with poor reading but may also be a characteristic of children referr ed for learning problems, possibly signaling increased vulnerability of und erlying neural integrative processes relevant to the child's adaptation to academic demands, including reading.