A prospective cohort study comparing workload in children with and without developmental coordination disorder.
Kids with motor coordination deficits lose cardiovascular fitness faster—screen and intervene early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team followed the kids for almost five years. Half had probable Developmental Coordination Disorder. Half were typically developing.
Every year each child wore a heart-rate watch during a shuttle-run test. Researchers tracked how fast fitness dropped.
What they found
The DCD group started weaker and lost cardiovascular fitness twice as fast. Girls with DCD lost the most.
By the final test the gap was large enough to matter for playground games and PE class.
How this fits with other research
Deserno et al. (2017) saw the same kids walk with uneven steps. Irina’s team now shows the uneven walk is costing energy.
Vitiello et al. (2016) found one short walk tires teens with cerebral palsy. Our DCD kids show the same pattern starting younger.
Osório et al. (2025) caught gait variability in autistic toddlers. Together the papers trace a line: early motor inconsistency → earlier fatigue → faster fitness loss.
Why it matters
If you work with school-age kids who trip, drop pencils, or skip recess, add a quick three-minute step test to your intake. Flag falling scores and weave short, game-like cardio bursts into therapy. Early, fun movement now can spare years of avoided activity later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to assess how cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of children with probable developmental coordination disorder (DCD) changes over a period of 4.7 years relative to a group of typically developing controls. A school-based sample of children in a large region of Ontario, Canada with 75 out of a possible 92 schools consented to participate. Children enrolled in Grade 4 (mean = 9.9 years, SD = 0.35) at baseline (n = 2278) were followed over the course of 56 months. A total of eight waves of data collection were carried out throughout the study period. The short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency was used to identify children with probable DCD and the maximal speed attained on the Léger 20-m shuttle run to measure CRF. Mixed-effects modeling was used to estimate the change over time in maximal Leger run speed for both groups adjusting for relevant covariates (e.g., gender, BMI, school, activity level, predilection for activity). Children with pDCD had consistently lower maximal run speed relative to controls. The trajectories of run speed in children with probable DCD and those without the disorder differed by gender with pDCD females demonstrating the lowest scores over time. Both genders with probable DCD showed a greater rate of decline in CRF over time relative to the controls. In conclusion, the difference in CRF between children with and without probable DCD is substantial, and it tends to increase over time. This adds to the argument suggesting that interventions intended to improve CRF may be appropriate and necessary for children with motor difficulties.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.09.027