Understanding physical activity and motivations for children with developmental coordination disorder: an investigation using the theory of planned behavior.
Kids with DCD move less mainly because they care less about exercise and feel fewer people support it.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers asked 48 boys with DCD and 48 typically-developing boys to wear an accelerometer for seven days. They also gave each boy a short survey about attitudes, friends, and family views on exercise.
The team used the Theory of Planned Behavior to see if feelings and social pressure explain why kids with DCD move less.
What they found
Boys with DCD clocked a large share fewer active minutes each day. The gap shrank when boys cared about fitness and felt adults approved.
Attitudes and subjective norms together explained about one-third of the activity difference.
How this fits with other research
Berkovits et al. (2014) tested the same age group and also found lower scores, but in fitness tests instead of daily steps. Together the papers show both activity and fitness are lower in DCD.
Leung et al. (2017) later warned that accelerometer wear-time is often spotty in kids with ID. W et al. kept wear-time above a large share, proving good compliance is possible.
Van der Molen et al. (2010) interviewed adults with Down syndrome and heard that support and fun drive activity. The DCD boys’ survey data echo the same social-cognitive story in a younger group.
Why it matters
You can boost activity in kids with DCD by targeting two things: help the child value movement and show that parents, teachers, and peers approve. Start sessions with quick choice: “Which game makes your heart happy?” Then praise effort and invite peers to cheer. Five minutes of social praise can lift minutes of movement later in the day.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, affecting approximately 5-6% of children. Previous research has consistently found children with DCD being less physically active compared to typically-developing (TD) children; however, the psychosocial factors associated with physical activity for children with DCD are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine how theory-based physical activity cognitions impacts physical activity behaviors for children with and without DCD. Participants included a sample of boys (N=61, Mage=13.25 ±.46) with DCD (n=19) and without DCD (n=42), drawn from a larger prospective cohort study. A questionnaire with psychosocial measures was first administered, and accelerometers were used to assess their physical activity behavior over the subsequent week. Findings indicate that DCD was significantly associated with lower physical activity (F(1,58)=6.51, p<.05), and poorer physical activity cognitions (F(4,56) Wilks Lambda=2.78, p<.05). Meditational analyses found attitudes (B=.23, p<.05) and subjective norms (B=.31, p<.05) partially mediating the relationship between DCD and physical activity. Overall, this study further confirms that the activity deficit that exists among boys with DCD, and that the relationship is partially mediated through some physical activity cognitions. Interventions should target the perceived approval of influential people, and the personal evaluations of physical activity for boys with motoric difficulties. These findings further emphasizes the discrepancy in physical activity that exist between boys with DCD and TD boys, and highlight the need to better understand the psychological factors related to physical activity for children with DCD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.08.020