Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH, cilt.14, sa.1, 2026 (ESCI)
Background Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition in children, characterized by deficits in both actual motor competence (AMC) and perceived motor competence (PMC). Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of linear and non-linear perceptual-motor intervention, with or without transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), on AMC and PMC in children aged 7-9 years with DCD. Methods A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with four groups was used: (i) Linear pedagogy (LP) perceptual-motor intervention, (ii) non-linear pedagogy (NLP) perceptual-motor intervention, (iii) tDCS combined with perceptual-motor intervention using the LP, and (iv) tDCS combined with perceptual-motor intervention using the NLP. A total of 40 children diagnosed with DCD based on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 were randomly assigned to the groups. Perceptual-motor interventions were delivered over 10 sessions, and tDCS was applied to the right primary motor cortex for 20 min before each training session. Results Results showed that the group receiving NLP combined with tDCS exhibited the greatest improvements in both AMC and PMC compared to all other groups (p<0.001), whereas NLP alone also outperformed LP (p<0.001). Conclusion These findings suggest that combining brain stimulation with NLP can significantly enhance both AMC and PMC in children with DCD. Overall, the study highlights the importance of designing enriched, exploratory, and neuro-enhanced learning environments for the rehabilitation of children with motor coordination difficulties.