Developmental coordination disorder (DCD)
is a common motor problem affecting—even in
rather severe form—several percent of school
age children. In the past, DCD has usually been
called ‘clumsy child syndrome’ or ‘non-cerebralpalsy
motor-perception dysfunction’. This
disorder is more common in boys than in girls
and is very often associated with psychopathology,
particularly with attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders/
autistic-type problems. Conversely, children
with ADHD and autism spectrum problems,
particularly those given a diagnosis of Asperger
syndrome, have a very high rate of comorbid
DCD. Psychiatrists appear to be unaware of this
type of comorbidity in their young patients.
Neurologists, on the other hand, usually pay
little attention to the striking behavioral and
emotional problems shown by so many of their
‘clumsy’ patients. A need exists for a much
clearer focus on DCD—in child psychiatry and
in child neurology—both in research and in
clinical practice.



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