The prenatal, perinatal and neonatal risk factors for children's developmental coordination disorder: a population study in mainland China.

Hua et al. (2014) looked at Chinese nursery records. They wanted to know which pregnancy or birth events predict later clumsiness.

They checked six red-flag events. These were threatened abortion, fetal distress, preterm birth, low birth weight, neonatal jaundice, and cesarean delivery.

Four events stood out. Threatened abortion, fetal distress, preterm birth, and jaundice each raised the odds of later DCD two to five times.

The other two events showed no clear link. Low birth weight and cesarean delivery did not add extra risk in this sample.

Du et al. (2020) ran a bigger survey six years later. They kept the same Chinese DCD focus but added family facts like parent education and one-child status. Their list of risks overlaps: both papers flag preterm birth. The newer study widens the lens from medical-only to medical-plus-social.

Zhu et al. (2011) looked at Taiwanese elementary kids. They tied DCD to higher obesity rates, not to birth events. The two studies do not clash; they simply ask different questions. Jing asks "What in pregnancy matters?" Yi-Ching asks "What happens to the body later?"

van den Heuvel et al. (2016) showed teachers report more behavior problems in DCD pupils. Together, the papers sketch a chain: early medical risk → later motor disorder → even later emotional struggles. Jing gives you the first link.

When you screen a preschooler with clumsy play, pull the birth history. Ask mom about bleeding in pregnancy, fetal heart-rate scares, early delivery, or newborn jaundice. If any are present, place the child on watch for DCD and start motor checklists early. Early flags let you push for OT or motor groups before academic and social gaps widen.