Risk for Developmental Coordination Disorder Correlates with Gestational Age at Birth

Abstract

Studies suggest that children born very preterm have a high risk of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). We examined the relation between the larger spectrum of gestational age at birth and the risk of DCD. We used the 7-year follow-up data from 22898 singletons in the Danish National Birth Cohort. We calculated a total score from the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ), incorporated in the 7-year follow-up, and defined children with a score of 46 or below as having probable DCD. Information on gestational age was obtained from the Medical Birth Register. Gestational age at birth was inversely associated with the risk of DCD; a decline in gestational age by a week was associated with a 19% [95% confidence interval 14%, 25%] increased risk of DCD screening positive among children delivered before 40 weeks. No significant increased risk of DCD was seen for children born post-term. Our data indicate that short gestational age at birth in a range up to gestational week 37 is related to an increased risk of DCD.