Ludek Kalfirt

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children has been recently increasing. The severity of symptoms greatly varies between individuals with ASD, ranging from relatively mild to extremely severe. It is important to have a clearer understanding of the possible adverse consequences resulting from this disorder, such as delayed motor development, autonomic dysregulation, and arterial stiffness. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate differences in motor skills, heart rate variability (HRV), and arterial stiffness between children with ASD and typically developing children. In this study, the school-aged children with mild symptoms of ASD (n = 17, 11.1 ± 1.0 years old) and typically developing peers (n = 15, 11.0 ± 0.5 years old) were recruited. Motor skills, HRV, and arterial stiffness were measured in these two groups. Motor skills were evaluated by the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Second Edition. Moreover, HRV was measured through a short-term recording using the Polar heart rate monitor, and arterial stiffness was assessed by non-invasive computerized oscillometry. Compared with the typically developing group, children with ASD displayed significant deficits in some areas of motor skills, including manual coordination, strength and agility, and total motor composite. Moreover, children with ASD exhibited significantly reduced HRV, including time- and frequency-domain measures. However, the results did not demonstrate any statistically significant differences in arterial stiffness between the groups. Our findings demonstrated the presence of motor skill deficits and autonomic dysregulation in children with ASD.

Introduction: The importance of motor competence is particularly evident at school ages when any intervention approaches have the most significant impact. Aim of Study: The theoretical study aims to provide an overview and compare the descriptive and psychometric characteristics of the assessment tools that we can use to determine the level of motor competence in primary school-aged children. We paid particular attention to the possibilities of identifying motor competence deficits. Material and Methods: From the overview list of assessment tools, we selected the following for more detailed analysis: Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2, Körperkoordinatationstest für Kinder, Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition, Test zur Erfassung motorischer Basiskompetenzen. The presented article compares the possibilities of using these tests in the European environment in terms of their psychometric and descriptive characteristics. Results: Each submitted tests has certain advantages and disadvantages in the practical use, collection, evaluation, and interpretation of the data. Based on established criteria in descriptive and psychometric characteristics, we selected using the comparative method as the most appropriate means to assess the level of motor competence of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition. Conclusion: The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition, presents the most comprehensive diagnostic tool to assess motor competence and its difficulties, despite shortcomings such as the absence of normative-related criteria in more European countries and time-consuming testing. The time-consuming test and the suitability of individual access to the person being tested to collect and evaluate data make it difficult to establish the test battery as the gold standard in motor competence diagnostics. From a practical point of view, the material presented will help facilitate the choice of a specific assessment tool according to the educational or clinical goal of the research

Introduction: A sufficient level of movement competence (MC) is a significant health and psychosocial factor. Overall, there is a strong consensus that movement competence is positively associated with all health-related variables. A lower level of movement competence in childhood is reflected in physical activity participation and engagement in physical activity later in life. The Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency, 2nd version (BOT-2), is considered the most comprehensive diagnostic tool. There are no normative criteria of this test in the Czech Republic. The aim of this pilot study was to estimate a cross-cultural validity of the BOT-2 in a sample of Czech school children. Methods: The research sample was comprised of 83 school children (43 girls and 40 boys) of average age 10.15 +/- 1.66 years. For the estimation of a MC we used the BOT-2, 2nd version - complete form. Results: The results of our tested group show that the group's MC is in the lower part of the average level in the area of total motor composite (standard score 46.4 +/- 11.8). On average, the weakest performance was recorded in the area of fine manual control. More in-depth analysis showed that the weakest subcomponent of the area of fine manual control was fine motor precision (scale score 10.1 +/- 5.5). The group's most successful area was the component concerning strength and agility. Conclusion: As a pilot study the project indicated that the BOT-2 can be valid for the Czech school children in 4 motor area composites regarding the manual coordination, coordination, strength and agility assessment only. It is not valid for the assessment of fine manual control. In a more detailed analysis of 8 subcategories we observe significantly worse results of Czech children in the area of fine motor precision.