The prenatal, postnatal, neonatal, and family environmental risk factors for Developmental Coordination Disorder: A study with a national representative sample.
Large Chinese survey flags male sex, preterm birth, low parental education, and being an only child as DCD risk factors—use these red flags when screening motor delays.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Wenchong and team looked at 19,000 Chinese kids . They asked parents about birth history, family size, and education. Then they used DSM-5 rules to spot children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.
What they found
Five red flags stood out. Boys, preemies, heavier kids, only-children, and kids with less-educated parents were more likely to have DCD. These simple markers can help you decide who needs a full motor screen.
How this fits with other research
Capio et al. (2013) already showed that worse motor scores bring more reading, attention, and daily-living problems. Wenchong adds the early-life risk list you can watch for before those problems show up.
Omer et al. (2021) found that executive-function trouble partly explains why DCD kids feel anxious. So after you flag a child using Wenchong’s risk list, also check EF to catch the anxiety pathway.
Dworschak et al. (2016) looked at challenging behavior in Taiwanese kids with intellectual disability, not DCD. Both studies are big Asian school surveys, but they ask different questions, so there is no real clash.
Why it matters
Use the five red flags as a quick triage tool in intake forms. When two or more are present, move the child to the top of your motor-screen list. Early ID lets you start coordination goals before academic and self-care gaps widen.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a five-item checklist (boy, preemie, high BMI, only child, low parent education) to your intake form; if two boxes are ticked, schedule a Movement ABC-2.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Knowledge of obstetric and environmental influences on Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) helps provide increased understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disorder. However, the literature to date has not adequately examined the obstetric and environmental risk factors for DCD in a population-based sample. The current study was therefore conducted to explore the prenatal, perinatal, neonatal, and family environmental risk factors for DCD. A total of 2185 children aged 3-10 years from a national representative sample in China were included; the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 was used to assess motor function, and a questionnaire was completed by parents. DCD was identified in 156 children according to the DSM-5 criteria. Multilevel logistic regression was used, and comparisons were made between the DCD and non-DCD group. The results confirmed that male sex, BMI score, preterm birth, and some prenatal conditions are significant risk factors for DCD. Parents' education level and one-child status as two significant environmental risk factors for DCD appear largely independent of other risk factors in the Chinese population. This study provides an opportunity to explore the etiology of DCD and suggest potential assessment, monitoring and intervention programs for DCD that could be examined in the future.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103699