Influence of Gestational Diabetes on Motor Development

Abstract

Research shows that metabolically impaired intrauterine environment causes mild long-term neuromotor deviations that are more pronounced in younger children. The goal of this study was to examine possible long-term consequences of gestational diabetes on motor development. Maximal strength and the ability of precisely modulate strength and position in the wrist joint as well as visual-motor integration of 10 years old children born to mother with gestational diabetes and matched controls born from regular pregnancies were measured. Ten years ago, fetal behaviour of both, control and experimental group was recorded and general movements, mouth movements, hand movements and movements of fist/ fingers of the experimental group was worse than in the control group. The obtained results showed no intergroup differences in maximal force production and in the ability to precisely modulate force and position in the wrist joint. However, the visual-motor integration of the dominant side resulted significantly better in the control group. The result indicates a possible greater negative impact of gestational diabetes on the graphomotor skills of school-aged children rather than on their maximal strength and ability to precisely modulate force and movement in the wrist joint.

DOI: 10.5671/ca.48.2.5