Left-Handedness and Developmental Coordination Disorder

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of left-handedness in a sample of children screened for developmental coordination disorder (DCD). METHOD: Using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Short Form (BOTMP-SF), 2297 children were screened with 128 scoring at or below the fifth percentile and identified as probable cases of DCD. Using the Movement-ABC (M-ABC) and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, 30 children (24 from the DCD group, and 6 who scored above the cut-off) were randomly selected for further assessment. RESULTS: Among the students who had previously scored at or below the fifth percentile on the BOTMP-SF, 24 were evaluated. Among the 19 children who met diagnostic criteria for DCD (IQ > 70, M-ABC < 16th percentile), 37% (n = 9) were left-handed. Among children who scored at or below the fifth percentile of the M-ABC, 46% were left-handed (6/13). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of left-handedness in children with DCD suggests a possible role for cerebral lateralization in motor coordination problems.