Parental report of early features of developmental coordination disorder: A qualitative study.
Parents spot early DCD signs before clinics do—ask about motor milestones, play exploration, fatigue, and therapy history.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Pearson et al. (2023) talked to 24 parents whose kids were later diagnosed with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).
They asked open questions about the first signs parents saw, starting from babyhood. The team recorded and coded every story to find common early clues.
What they found
Parents noticed motor delays as early as six months: trouble sitting, crawling, or grasping toys. They also saw kids tire quickly, avoid playground games, and need many therapy visits before school.
Each family told a different story, but three themes popped up again and again: slow milestones, limited exploration, and early therapy history.
How this fits with other research
Nakai et al. (2011) showed the Japanese DCD questionnaire works for school-age kids. Amy’s findings give the missing piece: what to ask about babies and toddlers.
Pichardo et al. (2026) proved parents can track feeding-treatment gains almost as well as trained observers. Amy’s study stretches that trust to motor screening—parents spot early DCD signs long before clinics do.
McKenzie et al. (2012) built a short IQ screen. Amy’s work hints we need a similar quick checklist for early motor red flags.
Why it matters
If you screen for developmental delay, add four parent questions: When did your child sit without help? Does she tire on the playground? Does he avoid new climbing toys? Have you already tried PT or OT? A “yes” to any delay clue is your green light for a full motor evaluation. Catching DCD sooner means starting skill-building when the brain is most flexible, saving years of frustration.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition usually diagnosed after five years of age. AIMS: To evaluate parent-reported early markers of DCD between birth and six years of age. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of twelve children diagnosed with DCD. Up to three interviews were performed per family. The interviews were then transcribed ad-verbatim and analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The first theme 'Child-specific features' discusses the children's challenges in diverse developmental domains (motor milestones, activities of daily living, play and exploration, fatigue and sleep, participation, sensory processing, coping skills and friendships, and verbal skills), varying in severity for each child and each domain. The second theme 'Features in the context' discusses subtle markers in the direct environment of the children such as quests for explanations and therapy, specific participation choices, concerns by other caregivers, and the emergence of secondary consequences. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study reports the presence of early features of DCD from the first year of life and suggests important topics to discuss with parents in the diagnostic process of DCD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104636