Motor Proficiency in School-Aged Children With ADHD: Inattentive Versus Combined Subtypes

Purpose Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often demonstrate poorer performance on motor assessments compared with typically developing peers. However, the motor skills of school-aged children with ADHD-Inattentive (ADHD-I) and ADHD-Combined (ADHD-C), as assessed by the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2), remain insufficiently explored. This study aimed to compare motor skills between children with ADHD-I and ADHD-C, and their typically developing peers. Methods A total of 150 children with ADHD ( M  = 8.8, SD  = 1.6, 90 boys and 60 girls) and 75 typically developing peers ( M  = 8.9, SD  = 1.8 years, 56 boys and 44 girls), aged 6–12 years, were assessed using the BOT-2. Motor proficiency parameters were analyzed using One-Way ANOVA analysis with post hoc comparisons. Results The control group scored significantly higher across all BOT-2 domains compared with both ADHD groups. Significant differences between the ADHD subtypes were observed for manual dexterity (ω² = .17, p  < .001), manual coordination (ω² = .14, p  < .001), and balance (ω² = .22, p  < .001), and favored the ADHD-C group. Conclusion Children with ADHD-C demonstrated better fine and gross motor skills—including manual dexterity, coordination, and balance—than those with ADHD-I. These findings underscore the importance of considering motor proficiency in children with ADHD, particularly those with the inattentive subtype, and may help guide clinical interventions and educational support.