Social participation by children with developmental coordination disorder compared to their peers.

PURPOSE: Two objectives are being pursued: (1) to describe and compare the level of social participation of children aged 5-13 with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) to children of the same age with typical development (TD) and (2) to describe and compare the level of social participation of two subgroups of youths with DCD, e.g. children with dyspraxia affecting both the motor sphere and the verbal sphere (mixed dyspraxia) and children with developmental dyspraxia.

METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 27 youngsters with DCD: 9 having developmental dyspraxia and 18 having mixed dyspraxia, compared to 27 same-age peers with TD. Life habits (LIFE-H) for children was used to measure social participation.

RESULTS: Levels of lifestyle achievements among youngsters with DCD are significantly lower than those of TD youngsters in all categories. Noteworthy differences were found between subgroups of youngsters with DCD in the categories of life habits related to communication and education. The group with mixed dyspraxia obtained the lowest scores.

CONCLUSIONS: The achievement of a normal lifestyle by youngsters with DCD is upset in all spheres of life. The impact of DCD on the level of participation of these youngsters is quite significant and affects all lifestyles measured in this study. Children with mixed dyspraxia are particularly affected. These facts must be taken into consideration by anyone involved in the lives of these youngsters.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: It is necessary to encourage social participation of DCD sufferers aged 5-13 in all spheres of life. Special attention should be paid to those who have a speech disorder. Life habits concerning communication and education may be related; greater efforts should be made to limit the negative impact on other lifestyles. Social participation of DCD sufferers should be measured periodically and appropriate resources must be made available to promote training and support for clinicians. It is important to provide tools to measure social participation for both stakeholders and parents.