Exploring the presence and impact of sensory differences in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.
Screen every child with DCD for sensory issues tied to ADHD or autistic traits, then treat those needs alongside motor goals.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Keating et al. (2024) asked parents about everyday sensory behaviors in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.
They compared these reports to parents of children without motor delays.
The team also checked whether ADHD or autistic traits, not poor motor scores, best explained the sensory gaps.
What they found
Children with DCD showed far more sensory seeking, over-responsiveness, and under-responsiveness than peers.
Daily life was harder for them too: loud cafeterias, clothing tags, or busy hallways often led to meltdowns or avoidance.
Surprise: motor skill level did not predict these problems. Instead, ADHD and autistic traits did.
How this fits with other research
Capio et al. (2013) once showed that worse motor scores bring more comorbid trouble. The new study flips the lens: sensory issues in DCD are driven by neurodevelopmental traits, not motor severity.
Zaguri-Vittenberg et al. (2025) extend the idea into adolescence. They found that teens carrying both ADHD and DCD report the poorest quality of life, matching the target paper’s claim that ADHD traits pile on extra burden.
Engel-Yeger et al. (2011) saw sensory processing problems in children who only had ADHD. Jennifer et al. now find similar patterns inside DCD when ADHD traits are present, suggesting sensory challenges cut across labels.
Why it matters
If you serve a child with DCD, add quick sensory and ADHD screens to your intake. Treating motor skills alone will miss the triggers that spark refusal, distraction, or fatigue. Pair occupational-therapy sensory plans with behavior strategies that target attention and self-regulation. Parents will see smoother mornings, teachers will see longer seat time, and the child gains confidence to move and play.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) can experience sensory differences. There has been limited exploration of these differences and their impact on children with DCD. AIMS: i) To explore the presence and impact of sensory differences in children with DCD compared to children without DCD; ii) To examine whether sensory differences are related to motor ability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or autistic traits. METHOD: Parents of children (8-12 years) with (n = 23) and without (n = 33) DCD used standardised questionnaires to report on their children's sensory differences, autistic traits, and ADHD traits. Motor abilities were assessed through the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2. Data were explored both categorically (between-groups) and dimensionally. RESULTS: Children with DCD had significantly higher levels of sensory differences than children without DCD. Sensory differences also had a significantly greater impact on daily activities for children with DCD. Higher levels of ADHD and autistic traits, but not motor ability, were significant independent predictors of higher levels of sensory difference. CONCLUSION: Children with DCD experience high levels of sensory differences, which impact on their daily lives. These sensory differences may be a marker for additional neurodivergence in children with DCD. Practitioners should consider the sensory needs of children with DCD. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: This paper provides insight into the sensory features of children with DCD and the impact that sensory differences can have on daily living. Using parent-report, we found that children with DCD had increased sensory differences relative to children without DCD. These included increased hyperresponsiveness, increased hyporesponsiveness, and increased sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking behaviours (SIRS). We also found that sensory differences had a greater impact on daily living for children with DCD compared to children without DCD. Across the whole sample, autistic traits predicted hyperresponsivity and hyporesponsivity patterns; whereas traits of hyperactivity and impulsivity predicted SIRS. Motor abilities did not uniquely predict sensory differences, suggesting that other traits of neurodivergence may contribute to the sensory differences in DCD. Taken together, these findings highlight the necessity of considering sensory needs when supporting children with DCD. They also suggest that if sensory differences are identified in children with DCD, it may be due to the presence of co-occurring neurodivergent traits or conditions.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2024 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104714