DCD and comorbidity in neurodevelopmental disorder: How to deal with complexity?

Abstract

In 1994, leading researchers in the field of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) research gathered at the London International Consensus Conference in Canada for discussions on the nomenclature, description and definition, assessment and management of motor coordination problems in children. Since then, biannual international conferences on children with DCD have been held, becoming leading events to exchange and update information for researchers, clinicians and students, and also for parents and patients. The last International conference in DCD was held in Toulouse, France from the July 2nd to 4th, 2015. Each conference has covered a specific theme with the organizing committee proposing the following Developmental coordination disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders: a focus on comorbidity . Comorbidity refers to the presence of two or more disorders in the same individual. Co-morbidity in neurodevelopmental disorders is pronounced, (particularly DCD, dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD in the area of developmental disorders). Many studies suggest that as many as 50% of individuals diagnosed with a psychiatric or neurodevelopmental problem suffer in fact from more than one disorder (e.g. (Williams, 2013)&Green & Baird, 2005). Comorbidity or a co-occurring disorder seriously impacts outcomes and creates a significant constraint on family and school life. Furthermore, it complicates diagnostic procedures and organization of health care. The 11th congress on DCD aimed to provide some answers to the important questions of diagnostic criteria, causal factors, prognostic markers, management of DCD and associated disorders. This conference was a real success and welcomed nearly 400 participants from 22 countries. The plenary sessions included keynote presentations focusing specifically on DCD (A. Kirby, D. Dewey, ML Kaiser and B. Smits-Engelsman) or more broadly on motor learning and comorbidity (M Habib, H Forssberg, R Nicolson), setting DCD into the broader area of neurodevelopmental disorders. Seventy-eight oral presentations were distributed between 24 sessions addressing both fundamentals and applied topics: physical manifestations, perinatology, locomotion, perceptual motor integration, manual functions and handwriting, cognition, internal model, neural correlates, assessment, participation, physical activity, intervention adulthood, mental health. Poster sessions were an