Functional performance of children with developmental coordination disorder at home and at school

Abstract

This study investigated the functional performance of daily activities at home and at school in a population-based sample of children with different degrees of motor coordination impairment and competence. Sixteen children (seven males, nine females; mean age 8 y, SD 9 mo) with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), 25 with suspected DCD ([sDCD] 17 males, eight females; mean age 7 y 6 mo, SD 8 mo), and 63 children without motor problems (39 males, 24 females; mean age 7 y 9 mo, SD 7 mo) were recruited from public schools (Grades 1-3, age 6 y 4 mo-9 y 10 mo) using the Chinese version of the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Functional performance was assessed using the Chinese versions of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the School Function Assessment-Chinese version. The functional performance of children with DCD and sDCD was statistically significantly lower than those without DCD (p's<0.05). chi(2) and logistic regression analyses showed significant differences among all groups in the proportion of children scoring at the 'inadequate' adaptive level of home performance (p's<0.05). There were also significant differences among the groups in the proportion of children scoring below the cut-off in school performance (p's<0.05). The findings show the pervasive impact of DCD on children's functional performance in daily activities at home and at school.