Fine motor skills in a population of children in remote Australia with high levels of prenatal alcohol exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

BMC Pediatrics

Research Article

Tracey W. Tsang¹  Barbara R. Lucas²  James P. Fitzpatrick³  Elizabeth J. Elliott⁴  June Oscar⁵  Maureen Carter⁶  Robyn Doney⁷  Peter Howat⁸  Kay Sauer⁸  Rochelle E. Watkins⁹  Jane Latimer^1,10 

[1] Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;Physiotherapy Department, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia;Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia;Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Westmead), Sydney, Australia;Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre, Fitzroy Crossing, Australia;University of Notre Dame, Broome, Australia;Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services, Fitzroy Crossing, Australia;School of Public Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, 6845, Perth, WA, Australia;School of Public Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, 6845, Perth, WA, Australia;Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer Control, Curtin University, Perth, Australia;Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia;The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;

关键词: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder;    Psychomotor performance;    Motor skills;    Indigenous population;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12887-017-0945-2

 received in 2015-11-24, accepted in 2017-11-09,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMany children in the remote Fitzroy Valley region of Western Australia have prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Individuals with PAE can have neurodevelopmental impairments and be diagnosed with one of several types of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fine motor skills can be impaired by PAE, but no studies have developed a comprehensive profile of fine motor skills in a population-based cohort of children with FASD. We aimed to develop a comprehensive profile of fine motor skills in a cohort of Western Australian children; determine whether these differed in children with PAE or FASD; and establish the prevalence of impairment.MethodsChildren (n = 108, 7 to 9 years) were participants in a population-prevalence study of FASD in Western Australia. Fine motor skills were assessed using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, which provided a Fine Motor Composite score, and evaluated Fine Manual Control (Fine Motor Precision; Fine Motor Integration) and Manual Coordination (Manual Dexterity; Upper-Limb Coordination). Descriptive statistics were reported for the overall cohort; and comparisons made between children with and without PAE and/or FASD. The prevalence of severe (≤ 2nd percentile) and moderate (≤16th percentile) impairments was determined.ResultsOverall, Fine Motor Composite scores were ‘average’ (M = 48.6 ± 7.4), as were Manual Coordination (M = 55.7 ± 7.9) and Fine Manual Control scores (M = 42.5 ± 6.2). Children with FASD had significantly lower Fine Motor Composite (M = 45.2 ± 7.7 p = 0.046) and Manual Coordination scores (M = 51.8 ± 7.3, p = 0.027) than children without PAE (Fine Motor Composite M = 49.8 ± 7.2; Manual Coordination M = 57.0 ± 7.7). Few children had severe impairment, but rates of moderate impairment were very high.ConclusionsDifferent types of fine motor skills should be evaluated in children with PAE or FASD. The high prevalence of fine motor impairment in our cohort, even in children without PAE, highlights the need for therapeutic intervention for many children in remote communities.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017