DETERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENTAL COORDINATION DISORDER LEVELS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

Background and Objective: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting 5-6% of children and youth. Few studies examined the prevalence rate of DCD in a variety of countries; however, there is no published study on the prevalence of DCD in Turkish children. This study therefore aimed to determine the prevalence rate of DCD among school-aged children in Turkey. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative design was adopted in this study. The criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5 th edition) were used to diagnose children with DCD. Participants were 856 children aged 6-9 years including 439 girls (51.17%) and 417 boys (48.83%) and their parents. Assessments were conducted using the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ'07) and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2). Results: The prevalence rate was found to be 8.53% for DCD among Turkish children aged 6 to 9 years. The prevalence rate ranged between 7.25% and 10.05% for the 6- to 9-year age groups. The range of prevalence rate was 7.62% to 15.09% and 4.90% to 8.74% in the girl and boy children, respectively. Despite some not significant differences, the prevalence rate of DCD were found to be similar across age and gender. Conclusion: Regardless of age and gender, the prevalence of DCD is relatively high among school-aged children in Turkey. Implementation of diagnostic and intervention strategies in primary schools is strongly recommended.