Diagnosis and Management of Developmental Coordination Disorders

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Developmental Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2025) | Viewed by 223

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Biological Science, School of Biomedical Science, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Interests: motor control; movement disorder; hemiplegic cerebral palsy; developmental coordination disorder

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Guest Editor
School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Interests: problems of coordination and control; motor learning; motor development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a topic that has been increasingly researched and discussed in the last 20 years with DCD research becoming more in-depth and multidimensional. This Special Issue will bring together work from researchers, practitioners and clinicians who are interested in the diagnosis, management and etiology of DCD. It also aims to gather cutting-edge research, comprehensive reviews, innovative approaches to the management of DCD and new insights into the mechanisms of DCD. In addition, it will consider the acquisition and execution of coordinated motor skills and the implication of motor skill deficits. We invite submissions that cover a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Evaluation of intervention strategies to improve motor function in DCD;
  • Evaluation of key methods for the identification of DCD;
  • Insights from brain imaging to understand motor functions and cognition in DCD;
  • Mechanisms of DCD;
  • Case studies and intervention programs.

Dr. Andrea Utley
Prof. Dr. Michael Wade
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • developmental coordination disorder
  • movement control
  • motor learning difficulties
  • assessment
  • intervention

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 432 KiB  
Article
Associations Among Developmental Coordination Disorder Traits, Neurodevelopmental Difficulties and University Personality Inventory Scores in Undergraduate Students at a Japanese National University: A Cross-Sectional Correlational Study
by Masanori Yasunaga, Ryutaro Higuchi, Keita Kusunoki and Naoto Mochizuki
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(8), 895; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15080895 (registering DOI) - 21 Aug 2025
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) commonly co-occurs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and specific learning disorder (SLD), affecting academics, mental health, and lifestyle. Although screeners such as the Adolescents and Adults Coordination Questionnaire (AAC-Q) are widely used elsewhere, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) commonly co-occurs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and specific learning disorder (SLD), affecting academics, mental health, and lifestyle. Although screeners such as the Adolescents and Adults Coordination Questionnaire (AAC-Q) are widely used elsewhere, recognition and support for DCD in Japan remain limited. This study examined associations among DCD traits, ADHD/ASD-related difficulties, learning difficulties, mental health difficulties, and lifestyle factors in university students. Methods: We conducted a web-based survey of 16,295 students; responses from 527 were analyzed. The instruments used for the analysis included the AAC-Q, short forms of ADHD and ASD Difficulty Scales, the 7-item Learning Difficulty Scale for Postsecondary Students and 10-item Scale for Childhood Learning Difficulties, and the University Personality Inventory (UPI). Nonparametric and Spearman’s rank correlations were performed. Results: DCD traits were observed at 7.4% (AAC-Q ≥ 32). This is a screen-positive proportion only. AAC-Q scores correlated strongly with ADHD difficulties (r = 0.65), moderately to strongly with ASD difficulties (r = 0.55), and moderately with mental health difficulties measured by the UPI (r = 0.41). Conclusions: These findings suggest that identifying DCD traits at university entry may be associated with greater student self-understanding and improved access to appropriate support. They support targeted DCD screening alongside ADHD/ASD screening at university entry, rather than universal screening. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Developmental Coordination Disorders)
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