Developmental Coordination Disorder

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a motor skills disorder that affects approximately 5% of all school aged children. Coordination difficulties impact on a child’s ability to perform everyday tasks. Children with DCD are often descibed as  “awkward” or “clumsy” by their parents, and teachers.  Performance in everyday activities  that require motor coordination will not be what is expected.  Canchild, leading international researchers (McMaster University, Canada) in paediatric conditions report indicators which include the following:

• Delays in achieving motor milestones such as sitting, crawling, walking.
• Dropping things
• Clumsiness
• Poor performance in sports
• Poor handwriting

What is DCD?

Children with DCD  do not have an identifiable medical  or neurological condition that explains their coordination problems. They usually have normal or above average intelligence, however their coordination difficulties impacts physical, social, and emotional health. DCD may co-occur with other developmental conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities (LD), speech/ language disorders, and behavioural disorders. Children with DCD vary in their presentation, so motor milestones may not be delayed, but the development of motor skills and learned movements or tasks will be delayed.DCD persists into adolesence and adulthood.

DCD continues to be an under recognised disorder. When children begin to participate in structured setting such as preschool and kindergarten, they usually struggle with pre-academic activities including colouring, and cutting and pasting. In early school grades, they may have difficulty with printing, copying notes from the board. Gross motor skills such as learning to throw and catch a ball are equally problematic. Teachers may describe children with DCD as falling off their chairs in class, or not being able to sit up at circle time. Although the motor coordination difficulties are easy to observe in the classroom and physical education settings, children with DCD are commonly not picked up until their difficulties begin to affect their schoolwork.

Identification

Identification of all developmental concerns is important  for management of DCD. A collaborative interdisciplinary approach provides more effective management and better outcomes for the child. This is a recognised medical condition, but awareness is just beginning to increase with a growing body of research.  Children with DCD need to be monitored more closely than the the average developing child for:

• deterioration in physical and cardiovascular fitness (with potential for obesity)
• withdrawal from social activities
• victimisation and bullying
• depression and anxiety

What do I look for?

In summary, DCD may be suspected if the child:

• moves awkwardly
• seems clumsy or poorly coordinated
• frequently trips, or drops things
• prints or writes poorly, and with much effort
• has trouble with daily activities such as
  • handling utensils
  • catching a ball
  • cutting with scissors
  • tying shoelaces

• avoids participation in physical or motor based activities
• has difficulty learning and transferring new motor skills

Intervention

Intervention for DCD focuses on learning and transferring specific motor tasks. Encouragement of an active lifestyle can help prevent secondary consequences. Early intervention and treatment may help reduce the emotional, physical and social consequences that are often associated with this disorder.

A physiotherapy  assessment can be helpful for setting intervention goals and ongoing management of this condition. If you would like to have your child assessed and receive futher information on DCD, please call us on  free call 1800985996 or 98777304.

Information based on Canchild research site.