improving fundamental motor skills through gamification: evidence from children with developmental coordination disorder

Background :developmental coordination disorder (dcd) is characterized by substantial deficits in fundamental motor skills (fms), including locomotor and object-control abilities. traditional interventions often have limitations in accessibility and motivation. objectives :this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a gamification-based fms program for children with dcd. methods :a pretest–posttest control-group quasi-experimental design with random assignment was used. forty boys aged 7 - 10 years with dcd in yasouj, iran, were assigned to an intervention group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 20) after meeting the diagnostic criteria. the intervention group received an 8-week gamification program consisting of three 45-minute sessions per week, whereas the control group received no intervention. motor skills were assessed using the test of gross motor development, second edition (tgmd-2). data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ancova). results :the intervention group significantly outperformed the control group in locomotor skills, object control skills, and overall motor quotient. the large effect sizes suggest potential clinical relevance; however, confirmatory research in larger samples is warranted. conclusions :in this sample of children with dcd, an 8-week gamification-based intervention was associated with significant improvements in fms. however, causal inference is limited by the quasi-experimental design. pending replication in larger controlled studies, this approach shows promise for integration into educational and therapeutic settings.