Developmental Coordination Disorder and Early Childhood Trajectories of Physical Activity

PURPOSE: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor impairments and subsequent physical activity (PA) deficits in middle childhood. It is not well understood when this gap in PA emerges. The purpose of the current study was to examine the longitudinal trajectories of device-assessed PA in a large cohort of children with and without DCD from ages 4 to 8 yr. METHODS: Children ( n = 535; age, 4-5 yr) completed four annual assessments as part of a prospective cohort study. Children were classified into three groups based on their average performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition: probable DCD <6th percentile ( n = 72), at risk for DCD between the 6th and 16th percentile ( n = 127), and typically developing >16th percentile ( n = 336). Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and average PA volume (vector counts per minute) were assessed using ActiGraph accelerometers. A series of linear mixed-effects models were used to examine longitudinal PA trajectories between groups. RESULTS: Children in both the probable DCD and at-risk for DCD groups engaged in significantly less MVPA compared with the typically developing group, whereas the deficit in PA volume was only marginally evident in the probable DCD group. The rate of change did not differ by group, indicating that this deficit is relatively consistent across the early childhood period. CONCLUSIONS: Young children with DCD are in an MVPA deficit that persists across early childhood. Early interventions targeting motor skills and PA may help to reduce this gap and promote positive trajectories of health among children with motor difficulties.