Developmental coordination disorder in children with CAS (Iuzzini-Seigel et al., 2022)

Purpose: Children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) evidence a high rate of co-occurring fine and gross motor deficits. This clinical focus article reports a preliminary investigation of characteristics of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), a neurodevelopmental disorder categorized by poor motor proficiency and functional limitations, in this population.

Method: Children with CAS underwent a comprehensive motor evaluation using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children–Second Edition, the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, and a developmental history questionnaire to determine if they met criteria for a DCD diagnosis as specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).

Results: Six out of seven participants met DCD criteria based on the DSM-5 criteria. Four of these children had a co-occurring diagnosis of developmental language disorder, and all met criteria for DCD.

Conclusions: Consistent with previous research, the majority of participants demonstrated motor deficits and 85% met criteria for DCD. Despite this high rate of motor deficits, only 57% had previously undergone a physical/occupational therapy evaluation and intervention and only one had a previous diagnosis of DCD. These findings suggest that formal movement assessments are essential for children with a CAS diagnosis.

Supplemental Material S1. Resource sheet on DCD symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and treating DCD. 

Iuzzini-Seigel, J., Moorer, L., & Tamplain, P. (2022). An investigation of developmental coordination disorder characteristics in children with childhood apraxia of speech. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_LSHSS-21-00163