Awareness and knowledge of developmental coordination disorder: A survey of caregivers, teachers, allied health professionals and medical professionals in Australia.
Jacqui Hunt, Jill G Zwicker, Erin Godecke and 1 others
PMID 33140459WHAT IT FOUND
In Australia, most teachers, parents and doctors still do not know what developmental coordination disorder is.
They recognise motor clumsiness but miss the anxiety and depression that often follow. The old term dyspraxia is better known than the correct one, which delays identification and support.
Key findings
01DCD and related terms were among the least familiar conditions to all groups, with only 51% of all participants familiar with DCD, compared to 95% for autism spectrum disorder.
02Stakeholders knew the motor signs but missed the psychological impact: only 13–16% recognized difficulty making friends, 11–12% poor social skills, and 7–13% depression as features of DCD.
03Allied health professionals had significantly higher knowledge than other groups, particularly regarding motor learning difficulties and self-esteem, but most felt the DSM-5 criteria were inadequate for diagnosis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was heavily skewed towards Western Australia and occupational therapists, so it may not represent the broader Australian therapy workforce. Only 27 medical professionals participated, making it difficult to generalize findings about doctors' knowledge. The survey relied on self-selection and snowball sampling, meaning participants were likely already interested in or aware of DCD, potentially inflating familiarity scores. Participants self-reported their knowledge and familiarity; there was no objective test of their understanding. The study is cross-sectional, so it captures a snapshot of awareness at one time and cannot show trends or causality.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was not funded by a specific grant, and the authors noted they were not funded for this work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that allied health professionals' higher familiarity with DCD means they can diagnose it or that they understand its full impact. The study shows that even among professionals, knowledge of the social and emotional consequences is low, and most feel the DSM-5 criteria are inadequate. Furthermore, do not read the 51% familiarity rate as high; it is still one of the lowest for any condition surveyed, and it masks the fact that the majority of stakeholders are unfamiliar with the disorder.