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Purpose: The early identification of motor coordination challenges before school age may enable close monitoring of a child's development and perhaps ameliorate some of the social, psychological and behavioral sequela that often accompany unrecognized Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the initial psychometric properties of a screening tool, the Little DCD Questionnaire (Little DCDQ), designed to identify DCD amongst preschoolers aged 3 and 4. Methods: The suitability of the items of the DCDQ'07 for 3- and 4-year-old children was assessed. Four items were found to be suitable and new items were generated. Content validity was ensured using a Table of Specification and the items were categorized into three sub-categories (Control During Movement, Fine Motor and General Coordination). The Little DCDQ was administered to 146 children (91 boys) aged 3 and 4 (mean age = 49.39 [plus or minus] 7.16 months). Ninety-one typically developing children were included (mean age = 47.80 [plus or minus] 7.05 months; 46 boys) while 55 children had been referred or were being treated for some form of developmental delay (mean age = 52.02 [plus or minus] 6.60 months; 45 boys). Of this sample, 28 parents completed the questionnaire twice within a 2-week interval. Results: Test-retest reliability was evidenced by moderate to good intraclass correlation coefficient values between scores on the two administrations for the total and the three sub-category scores. Evidence of internal consistency was provided by adequate to high Cronbach's alpha co-efficients calculated for each item, each sub-category score and the total score for the total group, and separately for the control group and the clinically referred group. Validity evidence based on relations to other variables was provided by the finding of significant group differences (clinically referred and control) for the total and sub-category scores for both the age groups and the total group. Conclusions: Based on the preliminary psychometric evidence, it appears that the Little DCDQ meets many of the necessary standards for validity and reliability as a screening instrument, and shows promise as a useful clinical and research tool. (Contains 5 tables.)

The aim of this study was to adapt and evaluate the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) for use in Chinese-speaking countries. A total of 1082 parents completed the DCDQ and 35 parents repeated it after 2 weeks for test-retest reliability. Two items were deleted after examination of test consistency. Cronbach's [alpha] for the total score was 0.89 and test-retest reliability was 0.94. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed this version to be compatible with the original and two adaptations of the DCDQ. One-way ANOVA and the post hoc tests revealed that the non-DCD group scored significantly higher than the DCD group and the suspect DCD group, but the latter two did not differ significantly. Sensitivity and specificity of the DCDQ were 73% and 54%. The estimated area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was 0.68. Compared to the dichotomized grouping in assessing sensitivity and specificity, which provides clinicians with all or none information about a child's probability of being DCD, the informative conditional effect plot could alert clinicians to the child with less conspicuous movement problems. This adaptation of the DCDQ could be used for identifying motor coordination problems in Chinese-speaking societies. (Contains 4 figures and 4 tables.)

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 8y, SD 9mo) with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), 25 with suspected DCD ([sDCD] 17 males, eight females; mean age 7y 6mo, SD 8mo), and 63 children without motor problems (39 males, 24 females; mean age 7y 9mo, SD 7mo) were recruited from public schools (Grades 1-3, age 6y 4mo-9y 10mo) 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 less than 0.05). x[superscript 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 less than 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 less than 0.05). The findings show the pervasive impact of DCD on children's functional performance in daily activities at home and at school.

The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) is a parent-completed measure designed to identify subtle motor problems in children of 8 to 14.6 years of age. The purpose of this study was to extend the lower age range to children aged 5 to 7 years, revise items to ensure clarity, develop new scoring, and evaluate validity of the revised questionnaire. Additional items with improved wording were generated by an expert panel. Analyses of internal consistency, factor loading, and qualitative/quantitative feedback from researchers, clinicians, and parents were used to select 15 items with the strongest psychometric properties. Internal consistency was high (alpha = 0.94). The expanded questionnaire was completed by the parents of 287 children, aged 5-15 years, who were typically developing. Logistic regression modeling was used to generate separate cutoff scores for three age groups (overall sensitivity = 85%, specificity = 71%). The revised DCDQ was then compared to other standardized measures in a sample of 232 children referred for therapy services. Differences in scores between children with and without DCD (p less than 0.001) provide evidence of construct validity. Correlations between DCDQ scores and Movement Assessment Battery for Children (r = 0.55) and Test of Visual-Motor Integration (r = 0.42) scores support concurrent validity. The results provide evidence that the revised DCDQ is a valid clinical screening tool for DCD. (Contains 7 tables.)

This article criticizes the term "comorbidity" used to describe the overlap of developmental syndromes or disorders. Data from 179 school-age children are evaluated for criteria of seven disorders. Since fully 50 percent of the sample met the criteria for at least two diagnoses, the premise that these disorders are discrete categories on which the comorbidity concept rests is discredited. (Contains references.) (DB)

Examines the reliability of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Long Form. Administration and scoring of the test; Inconsistency between therapists; Absence of difference in interrater reliability of test for children.

Aims: Test the psychometric properties and cut-off scores for the Canadian Little Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (Little DCDQ), which screens for coordination difficulties in children aged 3 to 4 years. Methods: Parents of children with typical development ( n = 108) and children at risk for motor problems ( n = 245) completed the questionnaire. A subgroup ( n = 119) of children was tested with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) and the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of visual-motor integration (VMI) to determine motor impairment (MI). Results: Test-retest reliability ( r = 0.956, p < .001) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94) were high. Construct validity was supported by a factor analysis and significant difference in scores of children who were typically developing and were at risk. Concurrent validity was evaluated for the children who received standardized motor testing, with significant difference between children with and without MI. Discriminant function analysis showed that all 15 items were able to distinguish the two groups. The questionnaire correlated well with the MABC-2 and VMI. Validity as a screening tool was assessed using logistic regression modeling (X2(5) = 25.87, p < .001) and receiver operating curves, establishing optimal cut-off values with adequate sensitivity. Conclusions: The Little DCDQ is a reliable, valid instrument for early identification of children with motor difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 8y, SD 9mo) with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), 25 with suspected DCD ([sDCD] 17 males, eight females; mean age 7y 6mo, SD 8mo), and 63 children without motor problems (39 males, 24 females; mean age 7y 9mo, SD 7mo) were recruited from public schools (Grades 1–3, age 6y 4mo–9y 10mo) 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). χ2 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]