ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews cross-sectional studies using the dual-task (DT) approach in children and adolescents, particularly in the areas of gait and postural stability. It presents an integrative framework for the interaction of cognition, motor performance and life-course factors. An overload of attentional resources during DT may disrupt both cognitive and motor performance in children and adolescents with or without motor and/or cognitive impairments. Regarding age-related differences in DT gait, the effects of concurrent tasks on walking are stronger for younger compared to older typically developing children or adolescents. In search of a more general explanation for the development of the motor–cognitive connection, the chapter introduces an integrative conceptual framework for the interaction of cognition, motor performance and life-course factors. Life-course refers to the age-related sequence of roles, opportunities and constraints an individual experience across the lifespan. Motor performance and learning depend on the level of cognitive function and the rate of possible change in different cognitive domains.
