It is a motor coordination disorder problem that occurs without any medical disease. Motor coordination problems negatively affect school success or daily living activities. The cause of this problem is not yet fully understood. Its incidence in the population is between 6-10%. It is 2-3 times more common in boys than in girls. Its incidence is much higher in premature babies. Its incidence increases as the gestational age and birth weight decrease. It is seen in 50% of those born before 32 weeks.
The impact of the problem can be reduced thanks to early diagnosis and early intervention. Experts can only detect this problem at an early stage by monitoring development. Pregnancy and postpartum risk factors and motor development stages in the 0-3 age range, and motor coordination tests in the 3-5 age range provide guidance in identifying the problem.
How Can Mother and Father Recognize DID in Their Child? ?
The symptoms of Developmental Coordination Disorder are very typical and easily noticed. Generally between the ages of 3-5;
Frequent falling, inability to run fast, inability to jump, weakness in manual dexterity, poor handwriting, inability to tie shoelaces, inability to catch a thrown ball, difficulty in throwing the ball to a specific target, inability to stand on one leg. It gives symptoms like. All or some of these symptoms may be seen.
How Does DID Affect the Lives of Children and Adults?
Children with developmental coordination problems are unsuccessful in sports activities. Poor handwriting due to poor manual dexterity and greater dependence on parents in daily tasks (tying shoelaces, putting on and taking off clothes, buttoning up buttons) are observed. Failure, especially in sports activities, causes self-confidence problems. This situation indirectly affects all areas of development negatively. It is a serious disappointment for children who are just discovering their abilities when they are not as successful as their friends in motor movements.
It causes a loss of success in education, especially in mathematics and geometry classes. Children with developmental coordination disorder will become adults with developmental coordination disorder . For this reason, it is necessary to raise children's awareness about their abilities in the early period and guide them.
How is DID diagnosed?
If the child has the mentioned findings, a child neurology examination should be performed. The existence of a medical condition that may cause these problems should be investigated. If there is no disease that can cause coordination disorder, developmental coordination disorder should come to mind. This problem is diagnosed with motor coordination tests. The most commonly used test is "Movement Assesment Battery". The child's developmental stages should be carefully examined, risk factors during pregnancy should be investigated, and the results of the tests applied should be examined together with these data. In some cases, it is necessary to apply visual perception tests and sensory integration tests in addition to the motor coordination test. Only in this way can the problem causing coordination disorder be revealed.
What are the Early Symptoms of GCD?
Lagging behind in gross motor development steps such as sitting, crawling and walking. . Being a limp baby, that is, muscle tissue hardness is less than it should be. Short crawling time. Sensory sensitivities such as the inability to touch fuzzy fabrics and fruits are alarm signs of developmental coordination disorder in infancy.
If these findings are present especially in premature babies or boys, the risk factor increases even more.
DCD. What are the Accompanying Problems?
Children in this group have attention deficit hyperactivity, sensory sensitivity problems, decreased problem-solving ability, lack of self-confidence, low general mood (inability to enjoy games). Sense of direction and body perception problems are more common. Again, in connection with these problems, a loss of success in the numerical field is observed.
How is DCD Treated?
Developmental coordination disorder should not be considered as a disease. Because there is usually no underlying medical problem. The coordination problem will always exist in that individual's life. It is necessary to work to increase general coordination by determining the activities that the child is successful in and enjoys doing. These activities should be determined by a physiotherapist who is an expert in the field. Because The activity should be difficult enough to develop the child's abilities, but easy enough not to reduce self-confidence. Other problems accompanying DPD should also be identified and these problems should be supported within the planned game activities.
Sports activities are very beneficial. Among sports activities, swimming especially comes to the fore. In determining other sports fields and starting times; The child, parents and physiotherapist should make a joint decision, taking into account the child's interests and current abilities.
Since the development of a sense of direction is delayed in these children, traffic education and possible accidents should be particularly focused on.
Treatment is a team effort. The physiotherapist who provides follow-up, the nuclear family, the extended family and the school environment should cooperate.
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