Identification of emotional and behavioral problems by teachers in children with developmental coordination disorder in the school community.
Kids with DCD look fine on the playground but score four to seven times higher on teacher behavior checklists—screen early and pair motor help with emotion supports.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Teachers filled out two checklists about kids with developmental coordination disorder. They used the TRF and the SDQ-T. These forms ask about emotions, attention, and behavior.
The study compared scores to typically developing classmates. It looked at how often kids landed in the clinical range.
What they found
Children with DCD were four to seven times more likely to score in the trouble zone. Teachers saw big jumps in anxiety, rule-breaking, and attention problems.
The odds ratios were large. That means the link is strong, not just bad luck.
How this fits with other research
Omer et al. (2021) helps explain why. They showed that everyday executive-function struggles partly drive the anxiety seen in DCD. So motor clumsiness and EF mix to create the picture teachers notice.
Heald et al. (2020) widens the lens. They found two-thirds of parents report clinical stress while raising kids with DCD. Teacher ratings and parent stress line up—both signal the child needs more support.
Tyler et al. (2021) used the same TRF tool with students who have intellectual disability. They also saw high internalizing scores. The pattern repeats across diagnoses, so the TRF is a reliable red flag.
Why it matters
You can spot DCD fallout before referral. Add the short SDQ-T to your usual preference assessments. If scores climb, loop in the OT and plan emotion-regulation goals alongside motor ones. Early teaming keeps kids in class and cuts referral wait time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Current evidence on the co-occurrence of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and psychosocial problems mainly concerns parent-reported information, but rarely includes teacher information. The aim of this study was (1) to investigate the teachers' identification of emotional and behavioral problems in children with DCD and (2) to examine the performance of the teacher version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-T) compared with the Teacher Report Form (TRF) in children with DCD. We assessed primary school children (202 boys, 200 girls, range 4-10.8 years, mean age 7.2 years) for DCD following the DSM IV-TR criteria. Emotional and behavioral problems were measured with the TRF (n=327) and the SDQ-T (n=361). DCD was established in 23 (5.7%) children, 16 boys and 7 girls (mean age 7.0 years). Children with DCD had a higher proportion of clinical scores on both the TRF Total Problem Scale (TRF TPS) and SDQ-T Total Difficulties Score (SDQ-T TDS). Children with DCD had increased odds on the TRF domains Thought (odds ratio, OR: 5.39), Externalizing (OR: 4.12) and Internalizing (OR: 4.42) problems, and on all SDQ-T-domains and Total Difficulties score (OR: 7.30). In the DCD group the SDQ-T TDS correlated strongly (Spearman's rho 0.80) with the TRF TPS and demonstrated a moderate agreement (Cohen's Kappa 0.53). In conclusion, teachers identified significantly more emotional and behavioral problems in children with DCD compared with their peers. The SDQ-T showed moderate agreement with the TRF in identifying emotional and behavioral problems in children with DCD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2016 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.01.008