Motor coordination, either between two limbs or between a limb and another sensory signal, depends on the interplay between motor control and sensory processing. Although profusely studied in relative isolation, knowledge of the interdependence between different control mechanisms and sensory sources is incomplete. We addressed this gap with a cross-sectional, developmental approach. Children aged 4 to 12 years (N=120) performed multiple versions of a hand-circling task. We show that coordination of symmetric bimanual movements is an independent mechanism that develops first, followed by proprioceptive and visual unimanual guidance. The ability to strategically select some, but ignore other, sensory information for asynchronous bimanual motor coordination develops last. Partial correlations between different tasks suggest interdependent, chained development within individuals. These results suggests that bimanual coordination is not a subcategory of general coordination ability, but is based on independent, likely motor-based, factors. Moreover, the development of different motor functions is serially interdependent.

Protracted development of visuo-proprioceptive integration for uni-and bimanual motor coordination