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. 2024 Apr 19:15:1349851.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1349851. eCollection 2024.

"Picture this from there": spatial perspective-taking in developmental visuospatial disorder and developmental coordination disorder

Camilla Orefice  1 , Ramona Cardillo  1   2 , Isabella Lonciari  3 , Leonardo Zoccante  4 , Irene C Mammarella  1
Affiliations

"Picture this from there": spatial perspective-taking in developmental visuospatial disorder and developmental coordination disorder

Camilla Orefice et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Either Developmental Visuospatial Disorder (DVSD) and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) present with difficulties in visuospatial processing, even though entailing different degrees of impairment. Among the visuospatial domain, spatial perspective taking is essential to interact with the environment and is significantly involved in many daily activities (e.g., environment navigation and spatial orienting). Notwithstanding, no previous studies have investigated this spatial domain in children with DVSD and limited evidence is available regarding DCD. Consistent with a transdiagnostic approach, the first goal of the present study was to compare spatial perspective taking abilities of these groups, also including a control group of not diagnosed peers (ND). Secondly, the role of different fine-motor and visuo-spatial predictors on the spatial perspective taking performance was considered.

Method: A total of 85 participants (DVSD = 26; DCD = 26; ND = 33), aged between 8 and 16 years old, were included in the study. Tasks assessing spatial perspective taking, fine-motor, visual imagery, and mental rotation skills, as well as visuo-spatial working memory were administered.

Results and discussion: Overall, our results confirmed weaknesses in spatial perspective taking in both clinical groups, with the DVSD obtaining the lowest scores. Similarities and differences in the predictors accounting for the performance in the spatial perspective taking task emerged, suggesting the possible employment of different fine-motor or visuospatial strategies by group. Findings are discussed considering the potential impact they may have both in research and clinical practice.

Keywords: developmental coordination disorder; developmental visuospatial disorder; fine-motor skills; visuospatial perspective-taking; visuospatial processing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Display of the array of elements used for the sOPT task (adapted from Kozhevnikov and Hegarty, 2001; Hegarty and Waller, 2004).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Significant effects of the best-fitting model for the performance at the sOPT (degrees of error). (A) is depicted the interaction between age and group, (B) the interaction between fine-motor abilities and group. DVSD, Developmental Visuo-Spatial Disorder; DCD, Developmental Coordination Disorder; ND, not diagnosed; sOPT, short Object Perspective-Taking task.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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