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The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program, based on music, movement, and dance, aimed at improving motor skills in children at risk of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Participants comprised 70 primary school children (47 boys/23 girls) aged between 6 and 8 years. Participants were given the Spanish adaptation of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children–Second Edition (MABC-2) to identify difficulties and initially classify into three groups: a group of 17 at risk of DCD who participated in the intervention program (Experimental Group), a group of 18 at risk of DCD who did not participate (Control Group with Risk) and a group of 35 children, with scores higher than the cutoff point (Control Group without Risk). The results show a significant improvement in the motor skills of children who participated in the intervention program, while those in the Control Group showed no significant changes in the second evaluation compared with the first. Likewise, it could be affirmed that this intervention based on group activities involving music, movement, and dance is a very successful blend for motor improvement in children with coordination problems, due to the combination of cognitive stimulation areas and techniques.

This study validated the four mathematics tests of the Spanish version of the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III) Achievement (ACH) battery for use in the first six grades of school in Spain. Developmental effects and gender differences were also examined. Participants were a normal population sample of 424 (216 boys) children aged 6 to 13 years. Results showed that the tests have good test-retest and internal reliability and good construct and criterion-related validity. Significant main effects of schooling were obtained with scores increasing across the six school grades, but scores between fourth and fifth graders did not differ significantly. Overall, boys scored higher than girls on all tests but the effect sizes of these gender differences were small ( d ≤ .12).