Health Encyclopedia

Developmental coordination disorder

Definition

Developmental coordination disorder is a childhood disorder characterized by poor coordination and clumsiness.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Roughly 6% of school-age children have some degree of developmental coordination disorder. Children with this disorder may trip over their own feet, run into other children, have trouble holding objects, and have an unsteady gait.

Developmental coordination disorder may appear alone or in conjunction with other learning disorders, such as communication disorders or disorder of written expression.

Symptoms

Children with developmental coordination disorder have difficulties with motor coordination compared to other children the same age. Some common symptoms include:

Delays in sitting up, crawling, and walking
Problems with handwriting
Problems with gross motor coordination (jumping, hopping, standing on one foot)
Problems with fine motor coordination (tying shoelaces, tapping one finger to another)
Clumsiness

Signs and tests

Physical causes and other types of learning disabilities must be ruled out before the diagnosis can be confirmed.

Treatment

Physical education and perceptual motor training are the best approaches for treating coordination disorder.

Expectations (prognosis)

The degree of recovery depends on the severity of the disorder.

Complications

Repeated injuries
Learning problems
Low self-esteem resulting from poor ability at sports and teasing by other children

Calling your health care provider

Call for an appointment with a health care provider if you are concerned about your child's development.

Prevention

Affected families should make every effort to recognize existing problems early and have them treated. Early treatment is beneficial to future success.

Review Date:11/15/2006
Reviewed By:Paul Ballas, D.O., Department of Psychiatry, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

ADAM Quality A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) and this website do not claim the information on, or referred to by, this site is error free. This site may include links to websites of other government agencies or private groups. Our Agency and this website do not control such sites and are not responsible for their content. Reference to or links to any other group, product, service, or information does not mean our Agency or this website approves of that group, product, service, or information.

Additionally, while health information provided through this website may be a valuable resource for the public, it is not designed to offer medical advice. Talk with your doctor about medical care questions you may have.