CDC

Question 1

what is DCD

Answer 1

is a chronic condition found in children characterized by motor impairment that interferes with the child’s activities of daily living or academic achieve-ment.

Question 2

Motor characteristics

Answer 2

Motor• Low muscle tone• Persistence of infant refexes• Diffculties maintaining balance• Awkward running pattern• Falls frequently• Diffculty imitating body positions• Diffculty following 2- to 3-step motor commands• Drops items• Diffculty with handwriting or drawing (most frequently mentioned motor problem)• Diffculty gripping• Diffculty using utensils for eating• Diffculty dressing

Question 3

psychological characteristics

Answer 3

Psychosocial • Learning diffculties• Reading problems• Behavior problems• Poor interactive play skills• Lower self-esteem• Lower self-worth• Increased anxiety• Avoids physical activity

Question 4

Quick Facts

Answer 4

• 6% of children 5-11 years old are diagnosed with DCD• DCD is diagnosed more often in boys than girls• A higher incidence of DCD may be found among children with a history of prenatal or perinatal diffculties • DCD is often associated with Attention Defcit Hyperactivity Disorder, phonological disorder, expressive language disorder, or mixed receptive-expressive language disorder• Not to be confused with: ° Specifc neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy, progressive lesions of the cerebellum ° Mental Retardation ° Pervasive Developmental Disorder ° Attention Defcit Hyperactivity Disorder

Question 5

Diagnostic criteria

Answer 5

Performance of activities that require motor coordination is substantially below what would be expected given the child’s chronological age and measured intelligence. May be manifested by:
° Marked delays in the achievement of motor milestones (ie, crawling, sitting, and walking). ° Dropping things ° “Clumsiness” ° Poor performance in sports ° Poor handwriting • The disturbance in motor performance signifcantly interferes with academic achievement or activities of daily living. • The disturbance is not due to a general medical condition such as cerebral palsy, hemiplegia, or muscular dystrophy. • The disturbance does not meet criteria for Pervasive Developmental Disorder. • If mental retardation is present, the motor diffculties present must be in excess of those usually associated with mental retardation alone.

Question 6

why is it important for children to receive intervention

Answer 6

• Current research supports the idea that children do not outgrow clumsiness. • Intervention has been shown to positively affect the development of gross and fne motor coordination when a specifc skill is motivating, meaningful, and practiced extensively. • Children and adolescents with DCD are at risk for low academic performance, poor self-esteem, and inadequate physical activity. This may lead to limited social participation in family, community, and recreation activities, and physical-social activities at school.

Question 7

what can physical therapy do to help

Answer 7

Improving gross and fine motor coordination, which may lead to: ° Improved hand-writing and activities of daily living, ° Improved motivation to participate in physical and social activity, ° Improved feelings of pride and satisfaction.• Collaborating with team members (ie, teacher, occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, family, social worker) to ensure optimal functioning, participation, and life-long ftness.• Assisting in the development of behaviors that will help the child remain physically active throughout life by encouraging him/her to participate in activities that he/she enjoys that do not require much hand-eye coordination or the ability to focus attention (ie, hiking, running, biking, skating, swimming, yoga, and aerobic exercise). • Introducing activities that are developmentally appropriate, and that involve small incremental challenges to ensure success and improve self-esteem.

Question 8

Etiology?

Answer 8

No specific pathologic process or single neuroanatomic site has been definitively associated with DCD

Question 9

ICF

Answer 9

Primary impairments

Sensory/perceptual

• Proprioception/knesthesia
• Visual-spatial procession

Motor Defecits

• Awkward and slow movement
• Rigid, jerky quality
• Bump into things

Motor control deficits

• fix joints ROM
• move slowly and slow to react and fatigue easily