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What is Developmental Coordination Disorder?

  • Mar 20
  • 5 min read

Written by: Katherine Jordan

Edited by: Aylin Abbasi


Introduction

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a commonly misunderstood disorder (Gentle et al., 2024). Its symptoms might be overlooked or mistaken for clumsiness or laziness by both the public and professionals, yet they can severely impact daily life. The primary symptoms of DCD are difficulties with gross and fine motor skills. 


For most of us, our bodies do what we want them to without much thought or effort on our part, but imagine if your brain and your body spoke two different languages, and you had to use an unreliable translator to communicate between the two: that is how Julia Futo described her experience living with DCD to Dr. Hackie Reitman during an interview for Exploring Different Brains (Reitman, 2021). 


Who Is Affected by Developmental Coordination Disorder?

Developmental Coordination Disorder is a relatively common disorder affecting approximately 5–6% of school-aged children worldwide (Gao et al., 2024). Children with DCD often experience difficulty with everyday motor tasks, including handwriting, catching a ball, and even brushing their teeth. As a result, this disorder can negatively affect a child’s life by interfering with both academic performance and social development (Castellucci & Singla, 2024). 


Although it is called “developmental” coordination disorder because it begins early in development, this condition often persists into adolescence and even adulthood (Gentle et al., 2024). DCD also frequently co-occurs with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and has been associated with obesity, anxiety, and low self-esteem (Castellucci &Singla, 2024). 


Up to 95% of children with DCD have difficulties with handwriting (Castellucci & Singla, 2024)


B. Example of handwriting from a second-grade child with developmental coordination disorder (Jolly et al., 2014)


G. Example of handwriting from a second-grade child without developmental coordination disorder. In both samples, the scale bar represents 1 cm (Jolly et al., 2014)


Figure adapted from Jolly et al. (2014)


What Causes Developmental Coordination Disorder?

The causes of developmental coordination disorder are still unknown. Given the complexity of the motor system and the fact that DCD can present differently across individuals, researchers believe that multiple mechanisms are likely involved (Castellucci & Singla, 2024). Studies have reported reduced activation in brain regions such as the prefrontal, parietal, and cerebellar cortices in children with DCD compared to controls. Researchers have also observed differences in the structure of sensorimotor tracts in the brains of DCD patients (Wilson et al., 2017). 


Despite these neuroimaging findings, the underlying mechanisms behind the disorder remain unclear. However, studies have shown several risk factors that appear to increase a child’s likelihood of developing DCD. These include premature birth, low birth weight, and a family history of DCD. In addition, boys are more likely to develop DCD than girls (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). 


Developmental Coordination Disorder or Dyspraxia?

Dyspraxia is an umbrella term used to describe movement disorders, including DCD, that involve difficulties with motor coordination. The term dyspraxia can also refer to movement difficulties that result from conditions such as stroke or head injury, producing symptoms that are similar to, or even identical to, those seen in DCD.  DCD, however, specifically refers to a neurodevelopmental motor disorder and does not include motor difficulties acquired through brain injury (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). 


How Is Developmental Coordination Disorder Diagnosed?

Symptoms of DCD can vary considerably and may be overlooked early on. In addition,  several other disorders can involve similar symptoms, which can make DCD challenging to diagnose. However, diagnosing the disorder as early as possible is important because earlier intervention tends to lead to better outcomes for children (Gao et al., 2024). 


Early signs that a child may have DCD can appear during infancy or toddlerhood. These may include missing developmental milestones and difficulties with coordination, such as stacking cups or eating with a spoon. In older children, symptoms may include difficulties with climbing stairs, writing or coloring, participating in sports, dressing themselves, brushing their teeth, and maintaining balance or coordination (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). If these symptoms are present, they should be brought to the attention of the child’s doctor. 


Diagnostic criteria include:

  • Significantly lower than expected motor skills for the child’s age

  • Daily activities are negatively impacted by poor motor skills and coordination

  • Symptoms began during early development

  • Motor difficulties are not better explained by a different diagnosis or condition


Are There Treatment Options?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for DCD; however, occupational and physical therapy can help improve motor skills and coordination. Since DCD can present differently across individuals, therapy plans are typically tailored to the individual's needs and take into account their environmental factors, focusing on what may be limiting the child’s participation in activities at home and at school (Gao et al., 2024). There are several types of therapeutic approaches commonly used to support children with DCD. These include:


  • Physical Therapy: Physical therapy tends to focus on developing the child’s posture and balance. It involves core stability training, muscle strength training, and proprioceptive training. It may also involve aquatic therapy (Gao et al., 2024). 

  • Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapy involves practicing specific tasks that require fine motor skills, are particularly difficult for the individual, and are frequently needed in daily life. In addition to fine motor skills training, occupational therapy can also include perceptual training in visual and tactile perceptual skills as well as executive function training, such as working memory and cognitive flexibility training (Gao et al., 2024). 

  • Cognitive Orientation Therapy: This therapy typically includes motor planning, visualization, and developing strategies for tackling difficult tasks (Gao et al., 2024). 

  • Virtual Reality: Virtual Reality (VR) is beginning to be explored as a potential option to supplement other forms of therapy. It can simulate realistic environments, provide immediate feedback, and increase motivation through active video games (Lino et al., 2021)


Spreading Awareness

One of the biggest barriers for individuals with DCD is the lack of awareness of this disorder. This lack of awareness and general misconceptions about the disorder persists among not only the public but also among teachers, parents, and healthcare providers who are key for early identification and treatment (Meachon & Roubaix, 2025). Because of this, increasing awareness is a high priority and the focus of advocacy groups as well as researchers. Last year (2025), October 9-16th was designated as “National Dyspraxia/Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) Awareness Week” in the United States with similar initiatives occurring in other countries as well. Initiatives such as these are important to help children with DCD receive an earlier diagnosis and get the support they need at home, in the classroom, and from their healthcare providers.


References


Castellucci, G., & Singla, R. (2024). Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia). In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.



Gao, J., Song, W., Zhong, Y., Huang, D., Wang, J., Zhang, A., & Ke, X. (2024). Children with developmental coordination disorders: a review of approaches to assessment and intervention. Frontiers in Neurology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1359955 


Gentle, J., Ivanova, M., Martel, M., Glover, S., & Hosein, A. (2024). A Qualitative Investigation into the Experiences of Students with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia) in Higher Education. European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education, 14(12), 3099–3122. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe14120203


Jolly, C., Huron, C. and Gentaz, É. (2014). A One-Year Survey of Cursive Letter Handwriting in a French Second-Grade Child With Developmental Coordination Disorder. L’Année psychologique, 114(3), 421-445. https://doi.org/10.3917/anpsy.143.0421.


Lino, F., Arcangeli, V., & Chieffo, D. P. R. (2021). The Virtual Challenge: Virtual Reality Tools for Intervention in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. Children (Basel, Switzerland), 8(4), 270. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8040270 


Meachon, E.J., De Roubaix, A. (2025). The Unseen Struggle: Mapping and Addressing the Awareness Gap Surrounding Developmental Coordination Disorder. Current Developmental Disorder Reports 12, 21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-025-00333-2


Reitman, H. (Host). (2021, April 16). DCD & Me: Living with Developmental Coordination Disorder, featuring Julia Futo [Audio Podcast Transcript]. Different Brains. https://differentbrains.org/dcd-me-living-with-developmental-coordination-disorder-featuring-julia-futo-edb-237/ 


Wilson, P. H., Smits-Engelsman, B., Caeyenberghs, K., Steenbergen, B., Sugden, D., Clark, J., Mumford, N., & Blank, R. (2017). Cognitive and neuroimaging findings in developmental coordination disorder: new insights from a systematic review of recent research. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 59(11), 1117–1129. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.13530 

 
 
 
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