The Social Impact of Living with Developmental Coordination Disorder as a 13-year-old

Abstract

Introduction: Children with developmental coordination disorder are frequently referred to an occupational therapist. However, while there is a growing body of research about developmental coordination disorder, there is a paucity of research from the perspective of adolescents living with the condition. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the experience of teenagers living with developmental coordination disorder from their own perspective. This article presents findings from interviews with teenagers aged 13 years. Method: The research adopted an interpretive phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to examine the personal experiences of six individuals diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using in-depth ideographic, inductive and interrogative techniques. Findings: All participants felt that the visible and hidden effects of their condition had an impact on their relationships with peers and family members. Three sub-themes emerged: (1) relationships with peers; (2) relationships with parents and (3) relationships with siblings. Conclusion: Participants described how their personal attributes, shared interests and the attitudes of others affected their relationships and social participation at home, at school and in the community. Understanding the issues that matter to teenagers with developmental coordination disorder will help occupational therapists to offer advice and meaningful interventions that increase teenagers' social confidence and participation.

Coordination difficulties and self‐esteem: The views of children, adolescents, and their parents

“…The previously mentioned qualitative studies of young people with DCD support this finding. Half of Payne's et al (2013) sample identified an interest in sport as a factor that had helped define their social group, emphasising social aspects. Most of the young people interviewed by Lingam et al (2014) also emphasised their enjoyment of sports, particularly sports that they had chosen, although they highlighted the difficulties they had with formal school sports.…”

Factors Contributing to Australian Adolescents’ Self-Report of Their Motor Skill Competence

“…Peer acceptance and spending time with friends becomes very important during adolescence (Guan & Fuligni, 2016). Several qualitative studies have found that level of motor competence affects social acceptance during this time (Barnett et al, 2013;Payne, Ward, Turner, Clare Taylor, & Bark, 2013). Rose and colleagues (2015) also found that self-perceptions around close friendships, social acceptance, romantic appeal and physical appearance were dependent upon level of motor competence among Australian adolescents.…”

Understanding Organisational Ability and Self-Regulation in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

“…Avoidance of physical activities is also reported to be common in children with DCD who may shun situations in which their difficulties might be exposed [ 25 , 34 , 35 ]. While studies suggest that participation in physical activities has a beneficial effect for children’s mental health [ 36 ], this may not be the case for children with DCD whose feelings of inadequacy may be reinforced through negative interactions with peers [ 37 ].…”

“…Cairney and colleagues [ 9 ] put forward the Environmental Stress Hypothesis as a possible explanation for the increase in mood disorders among children with DCD, with secondary psychosocial consequences of the primary motor disorder having a cumulative negative impact on self-esteem and mental health. Factors such as the context in which activities take place [ 37 ], fitness and obesity [ 39 ]and peer victimisation [ 40 ] all impact on the participation and emotional well-being of children with DCD. Psychosocial well-being is not necessarily linked to the severity of a child’s motor impairments [ 11 , 33 ] with self-esteem, the presence of co-occurring difficulties, bullying and social communication difficulties being important mediating factors [ 25 ].…”