Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) presents challenges in motor control. DCD affects tasks such as walking and running and is characterized by poor interlimb coordination and increased spatiotemporal variability compared to typically developing children (TDC). While auditory rhythm synchronization has shown to have benefits for gait performance in adults, its impact on children with DCD during walking and running remains unclear. This study investigated auditory-motor synchronization and interlimb coordination during walking and running in children with and without DCD. Twenty-one DCD and 23 TDC participants aged 8-12 years walked and ran to two different auditory metronomes (discrete and continuous). Synchronization consistency was the primary outcome, with interlimb coordination and spatiotemporal variability as secondary outcomes. Results showed that children with DCD exhibited significantly lower synchronization consistency than TDC, particularly during running. The metronome structure did not influence synchronization ability. Additionally, interlimb coordination differed significantly between DCD and TDC during running and was not impacted by auditory-motor synchronization. Spatiotemporal variability was higher in DCD during both walking and running than in TDC, and accentuated during running. Variability of cadence was influenced by the use of continuous metronomes, which may offer potential benefits in reducing cadence variability.

Keywords: auditory–motor synchronization; developmental coordination disorder; interlimb coordination; running; walking.

© 2024 The Author(s). Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The New York Academy of Sciences.