Bilateral Coordination and Academic Performance in Children: A Scoping Review

Objectives: Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between bilateral coordination and academic performance; however, their findings remain inconsistent. This study aimed to review the literature on the relationship between bilateral coordination and academic performance in children to identify the populations studied and summarize the assessment tools employed in current research. Methods: This review followed the methodological framework of Arksey and O’Malley (۲۰۰۵) and was reported according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews guidelines. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus for studies published between ۲۰۱۰ and ۲۰۲۵. Keywords and MeSH terms were combined using Boolean operators. Additionally, the first ۲۰ pages of Google Scholar search results were screened by title and abstract to identify relevant studies. Quantitative observational and interventional studies investigating the relationship between bilateral coordination and academic performance in students from preschool to high school age were included. Data were extracted and charted in a structured Excel spreadsheet and analyzed descriptively. Results: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. In typically developing children, bilateral coordination was significantly associated with basic mathematics skills (numbers, patterns, spatial reasoning) and spelling, while inconsistent associations were observed between bilateral coordination and reading and handwriting outcomes. In children with cerebral palsy or developmental coordination disorder, bilateral coordination was related to writing abilities. In children with specific learning disorders, greater deficits were noted in those with dyscalculia. The Bruininks–Oseretsky test of motor proficiency, second edition (BOT-۲) (was the most frequently used assessment tool for bilateral coordination. The small number of included studies and the heterogeneity of outcome measures limited the ability to draw firm conclusions about causality Discussion: Bilateral coordination appears to play an important role in certain academic skills, particularly basic mathematics and writing performance. Given the inconsistent results regarding higher-level academic abilities, further rigorous research using comprehensive assessment tools and larger samples is recommended and longitudinal or interventional designs should be employed to better clarify the role of bilateral coordination across specific academic domains. Nonetheless, inconsistencies across existing studies underscore the need for standardized assessment tools and further high-quality research with larger, more diverse samples.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bilateral coordination ، Bimanual coordination ، Bilateral integration ، Academic performance ، Mathematics ، Reading ، Writing ، Handwriting ، Children