Timing perception and motor coordination on rope jumping in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

ObjectivesTo evaluate timing perception ability and motor coordination in children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) while rope jumping at different rates.Design and settingRope jumping at (1) a constant tempo of 100 for 15 s (RJ-C) and (2) two randomly permutated tempos (80, 100, or 120) for 15 s (RJ-V).Main Outcome MeasuresThe “timing variation while jumping”, “timing variation while whirling”, and “hand-foot deviation time” in each rope jumping cycle were recorded, to assess the time estimation ability.Participants10 children with ADHD (9.65 ± 1.27 years) and 10 children without ADHD (9.93 ± 1.54 years) were recruited.ResultsThe ADHD group showed greater variation in time between the foot jumping and the rope whirling tasks. Also, the median value of hand-foot deviation time was greater in the ADHD group (3.34 ms) than in the control group (1.75 ms). In RJ-V, the control group was able to modify their pace and respond to the target speed in the post-phase, while the ADHD group could not.ConclusionImpaired timing perception leads to less accurate performance during rope jumping for ADHD children. The findings also reveal that poor hand-foot coordination results in poor control of simultaneous movements of the upper and lower limbs during rope jumping.