Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD): An overview of the condition and research evidence

Abstract

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by impairments in the development of motor coordination. The uncoordinated movements of children with DCD lead to performance difficulties in daily life activities and academic settings. Despite the high prevalence of this condition (2-7%) and severe consequences associated with it, DCD is not well recognized in clinical and educational practices, particularly in Brazil. This review provides an overview of DCD and the research evidence-we present definitions and characteristics associated with the condition, the diagnostic criteria, associated difficulties, frequent co-morbidities and a summary of the possible causes. Finally, we review management strategies and intervention approaches for DCD. We also discuss some of the common challenges of the field-while DCD has been largely studied in the last decade, there are still many gaps between research and practice that need to be filled. Awareness and dissemination of relevant, scientific information is necessary. In conclusion, DCD is a significant condition with a clear diagnostic criteria, and requires intervention to improve motor and functional skills, which can improve the associated difficulties as well as the physical and mental health consequences of the condition.

Association between motor performance, cognitive maturity and socio-demographic aspects in preschooler children

“…These authors have found that both children showing typical development and children classified as having a motor disorder had higher average rating in cognitive assessment. Although there is a greater tendency for children with motor disorders to show cognitive development below the average for their age 4 , previous studies have pointed out that motor disorders may be associated but not explained only by intellectual delay 30 . Based on this, low motor proficiency manifested as a motor disorder may be linked to several factors, such as those related to the individual limitations, the conditions of the surrounding environment (i.e., housing environment and possible exploitation), and limiting factors related to the task being performed 4 .…”

“…In this sense, the need for future studies that thoroughly evaluates all the criteria recommended by DSM-IV, adopting clinical evaluations, and having a multidisciplinary team available are made necessary. A second limitation is related to the design of the cross-sectional study that did not allow the monitoring and a second investigation of children with low motor proficiency at around six years of age, a point in children life when the diagnosis of the disorder is consolidated as it has been reported in the literature 30 .…”

Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition: Theoretical Adequacy of a Motor Assessment Instrument

“…However, studies [3][4][5] show that the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2) is one of the tests used worldwide to identify children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). 3,6,7 This motor assessment instrument has been used in North America, 8,9 Greece, 10,11 Japan, 12 Netherlands 13 , and Brazil. 5,14,15 Although globally used, psychometric problems resulting from the use of MABC-2 were pointed out, for example, in Germany.…”

Longitudinal study changes in coordination development disorder in preschool children

“…In this sense, although children with early diagnosis (around 5 and 7 years old) show improvement in CDD, many had a greater amount of motor difficulties when evaluated 10 years later and compared to their peers without a diagnosis of CDD (Cantell et al, 1994;Losse et al, 1991). This shows the importance of motor assessment carried out by researchers and clinicians (Smits-Engelsman et al, 2015) and early monitoring by parents, educators, and health professionals (Oliveira et al, 2018;Caçola & Lage, 2019) since the literature is not enough as to the information on the motor behavior of children with CDD over time, especially regarding the pre-school age (3 to 5 years old). Most longitudinal researches are concentrated from the age of 5 (Cantell et al, 1994;Losse et al, 1991;Skinner & Piek, 2001;Sugden & Chambers, 2007), showing a knowledge gap to be explored in this study.…”