Physical Literacy as A Framework of Assessment and Intervention for Children and Youth with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Narrative Critical Review of Conventional Practice and Proposal for Future Directions

Abstract

A framework of literacy may have roles to play in the assessment and treatment of children and youth with developmental disorders. This review aims to evaluate the conventional practice of assessment and treatment for children and youth with a developmental disorder in the physical domain, called developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and explore how the framework of physical literacy could contribute to the advancement of the current practice. This study adopts a method of narrative critical review based on a non-systematic search for its broad coverage to provide insights into the trend and future alternative directions. Over recent decades, children and youth with DCD have been typically assessed with standardized norm-referenced tests, before and after task-oriented intervention, for aiding diagnosis and evaluating the treatment effect. However, a recent high-quality systematic review showed limited evidence for the treatment effect assessed by the tests. Here, a framework of physical literacy is proposed to be used as an alternative to the conventional practice by recalibrating treatment goals and modifying the assessment and intervention approaches; criterion-referenced real-life authentic assessment and activities are encouraged with an emphasis on the enjoyment of movement and value of physical activity towards the attainment of physically active and healthy lifestyle goals from a lifespan perspective. The application of the physical literacy framework to the assessment and treatment of DCD needs to be further examined conceptually and empirically, while exploring a potential contribution of the literacy framework to transform the conventional assessment and treatment of children and youth with other developmental disorders.

The Effectiveness of Physical Literacy Interventions: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

“…In line with the descriptions of a "lifelong journey" [16,37], PL can basically be applied to all ages, spanning children [35,38] and older adults [39]. The inclusive character also refers to individuals with developmental disorders and disabilities [40][41][42], turning PL into a concept for everyone.…”

Individuals experiencing disability and the ableist physical literacy narrative: critical considerations and recommendations for practice

“…Although debate continues as to the validity of assessment as a whole ( 65 , 66 ), the increased emphasis on physical and skill-oriented behaviour indicates that there is more value toward identifying deficits in motor ability ( 57 , 63 , 67 ), thus reinforcing ableist ideals and limiting fidelity to the holistic underpinning of PL. Such focus leads to misconceptions regarding ability level, creating a sense of inferiority amongst those with less-privileged capabilities and act as a demotivating factor for continued physical activity engagement ( 68 ).…”

The Effects of Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents with Developmental Coordination Disorder

“…Conversely, other interventions failed to improve dynamic and static balance [ 12 , 48 , 51 , 57 ]. This negative result could be due either to the short duration of the interventions or to the improper suboptimal design—organization of the methodology of these programs—such as the heterogeneous intervention samples and the use of inappropriate and reliable assessment tools [ 46 ].…”