Abstract
BackgroundTo date services for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have not been informed by the perspective of children with DCD. This study aimed to synthesise the findings of discrete qualitative studies reporting the lived experiences views and preferences of children and young with DCD using a meta-ethnographic approach to develop new conceptual understandings.MethodsA systematic search of ten databases; Academic Search Complete, AMED, CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsychArticles, PsychInfo, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science, was conducted between March and April 2019, and updated in early June 2020. Meta-ethnography, following the method described by Noblit and Hare was used to synthesise included studies. The Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist was used to appraise all included papers. PROSPERO registration number CRD42019129178.ResultsFifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-ethnographic synthesis produced three themes; a) ‘It’s harder than it should be’: Navigating daily activities b) Fitting in, and c) ‘So what? I drop things’: Strategies and supports to mitigate challenges. Children with DCD describe a mismatch between their abilities and performance norms for daily activities that led to a cascade of negative consequences including negative self-appraisal, bullying and exclusion. In the face of these difficulties children described creative and successful strategies they enacted and supports they accessed including; assistance from others (parents, friends and teachers), focusing on their strengths and talents, accepting and embracing their difference, adopting a “just do it” attitude, setting personal goals, self-exclusion from some social activities, using humour or sarcasm, viewing performance expectations as a social construct, and enjoying friendships as a forum for fun, acceptance and protection against exclusion.ConclusionService provision for children and young people with DCD should address the social and attitudinal environments, focus on friendship and social inclusion and address stigma-based bullying particularly within the school environment. Furthermore, practitioners should identify and foster children’s own strategies for navigating daily life activities with DCD. The identified themes resonate with contemporary disability theory and the International Classification of Functioning. The social and attitudinal environmental context of children and young people with DCD profoundly influences their experiences. Future intervention development and service provision for children and young people with DCD should consider opportunities to address social and attitudinal environmental factors.
Highlights
This neurodevelopmental disorder Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects between 5% to 6% of the paediatric population [1] and is characterised by impaired motor proficiency, which interferes with the performance of activities of daily life, academic/schoolbased activities, leisure and play [1]
Children with DCD describe a mismatch between their abilities and performance norms for daily activities that led to a cascade of negative consequences including negative self-appraisal, bullying and exclusion
It is well established that DCD has the potential to impact on individuals involvement and participation in daily life activities and these challenges persist beyond childhood [6]
Summary
This neurodevelopmental disorder Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects between 5% to 6% of the paediatric population [1] and is characterised by impaired motor proficiency, which interferes with the performance of activities of daily life, academic/schoolbased activities, leisure and play [1]. For a diagnosis of DCD, these motor proficiency difficulties cannot be explained by other neurological conditions that affect movement [1]. It is well established that DCD has the potential to impact on individuals involvement and participation in daily life activities and these challenges persist beyond childhood [6]. Best practice recommendations advocate that intervention planning for children with DCD should commence with an analysis of the individual’s strengths and weaknesses in their environmental context, so that an activity or participation-oriented approach can implemented [6]. It is vital that future intervention development for children and young people with DCD is informed by stakeholder perspectives in line with recommendations for complex intervention development [9]
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