The adult developmental coordination disorders/dyspraxia checklist - German: adapted factor structure for the differentiation of DCD and ADHD.
A newly validated German self-report cleanly separates adult DCD from ADHD in under five minutes.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team translated the English Adult DCD Checklist into German. They gave the new form to adults who already had a DCD or ADHD diagnosis.
Using factor analysis, they checked if the German items still grouped into the same three areas: fine motor, gross motor, and executive planning.
What they found
The German checklist held together. Internal consistency was good and the three-factor structure stayed clean.
Scores on the new form let clinicians tell DCD from ADHD in adults. That means one quick self-report can flag motor issues without mixing them up with attention problems.
How this fits with other research
Gul et al. (2022) did the same kind of job in Turkey. They translated Barkley’s Adult SCT scale and also found a clear factor split between sluggish cognitive tempo and ADHD. Both studies show that careful translation plus factor analysis gives clinicians local tools that still separate look-alike conditions.
Schulz et al. (2011) and Wagner et al. (2011) looked at kids, not adults. They used confirmatory factor analysis to support the three motor factors in the M-ABC-2. Sasson et al. (2022) now shows the same three-factor idea works for a self-report adult DCD tool, stretching the concept across the lifespan.
Zoia et al. (2019) warn that Italian kids scored differently from UK kids on some M-ABC-2 tasks. The German ADC study did not test for culture-based score shifts, so clinicians should still collect local norms before setting cut-offs.
Why it matters
If you assess adults for ADHD, add the German ADC to your intake packet. It takes five minutes, needs no equipment, and gives you a motor profile that stands apart from attention ratings. When scores are high on the fine or gross motor factors, refer for an occupational-therapy evaluation instead of bumping the stimulant dose.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The Adult Dyspraxia/DCD Checklist (ADC) is the only existing self-report questionnaire to screen adults for potential Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). It was developed in English and Hebrew, however, its factor structure has not yet been assessed. AIMS: The goals of the current study were to (1) develop and refine a German translation, (2) explore the emerging factors in a new and restructured ADC in German and apply this structure to an English ADC, and (3) explore its potential for distinguishing DCD versus ADHD. METHOD: In a series of three studies, we assessed comprehensibility of the translation and revisions to the questionnaire. We further examined subscale structure in a sample of N = 148 individuals with DCD or ADHD and retested it in an English-speaking sample (N = 134). RESULTS: Overall, we found decent reliability and construct validity for the German ADC. Three components emerged with themes of fine motor coordination, gross motor coordination, and executive functions which had strong psychometric properties in German and English. CONCLUSIONS: The studies collectively highlight the German translation is effective and has strong potential to differentiate DCD and ADHD. Most notably, there are unique symptom profiles in motor and executive functioning difficulties in adults with DCD or ADHD. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS?: The translation and preliminary validation of the German ADC in this study has the potential to screen for probable DCD in German-speaking adults for the first time. In addition, the new subscale structure can be generalized to the English version as well and allows for the potential assessment of several key symptomatic patterns in the realms of gross motor, fine motor, and executive functioning skills that differ between adults with DCD and ADHD. These differences were fairly consistent between English- and German-speaking samples, indicating potential for more widespread assessment and differentiation of DCD and ADHD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104254