Emerging adulthood in developmental co-ordination disorder: parent and young adult perspectives.

Hattier et al. (2011) talked to a small group of young adults with developmental coordination disorder and their parents. They asked about daily life, school, work, and social life. The team wrote down what still felt hard for these 18- to 25-year-olds.

Handwriting, planning, and social skills were the biggest worries. Parents and adults agreed: messy writing, forgetting steps, and trouble making friends had not gone away. Motor issues stayed too, but the hidden problems hurt most.

Spanoudis et al. (2011) looked at many child studies and saw almost no one measuring real-life tasks like writing or dressing. A et al. fill that gap by showing these same tasks still trouble people in their twenties.

Fusar-Poli et al. (2017) found big emotional and hyperactivity problems in elementary kids with DCD. A et al. show the social side of those problems lasts well past grade school.

Tamplain et al. (2024) surveyed US parents who said therapy stops too early and teachers still know little. A et al. give those parents a voice: young adults feel the same neglect.

If you work with teens or adults who write slowly, avoid crowds, or lose homework, ask about childhood DCD. Add quick handwriting, planning, and social-skills probes to your intake. Invite parents to the interview—they notice gaps clients have learned to hide. Target these lifelong spots, not just motor drills, and you will boost real-world independence.