Our objective was to examine the association of attention deficit and disorganization in boys with and without specific developmental disorder of motor function. Four groups of boys between the age of 7 and 12 years-(1) Disorganization + coordination disorder (n = 30); (2) Coordination disorder (n = 33); (3) Disorganization (n = 28); and (4) Control (n = 29)-were included. Teachers completed the Questionnaire for Assessing the Students' Organizational Abilities for the Teacher and the Conners' Teachers Rating Scale-Revised. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children and 2 subscales of an intelligence test (vocabulary and similarities) were administered. A significantly increased rate of attention deficit in children with organizational deficit was identified. Attention deficit in children with specific motor disorder was exclusively associated with an organizational deficit. Organizational deficit in childhood is highly associated with attention deficit, and this association is particularly relevant in children with specific coordination disorder.
Keywords: attention deficit; coordination; discoordination; disorganization; dyspraxia; executive function.