Exploring the multidimensional occupational participation of young adults with developmental coordination disorder.
Shahar Zaguri-Vittenberg, Naomi Weintraub, Miri Tal-Saban
PMID 40195618WHAT IT FOUND
Young adults with developmental coordination disorder often needed help with daily living and mobility tasks, reported low pleasure in everyday activities, and found social and community activities meaningful and enjoyable.
Key findings
01Young adults with DCD reported reliance on assistance especially for navigation, household chores, managing finances, and caring for pets or children.
02Participation frequency was highest in general tasks and demands and domestic life, and lowest in self-care and community, social, and civic life.
03Pleasure was highest in interpersonal relationships and community, social, and civic life, but very low in general tasks and demands, self-care, mobility, and major life areas.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This was a small convenience sample of 55 young adults recruited through social media, and more than half had a bachelor's or master's degree, so it may not represent adults with developmental coordination disorder who are less educated, not seeking support, or have different life roles. Excluding people with ADHD, autism, specific learning disorders, psychiatric conditions, neurosensory difficulties, and major health conditions means the sample does not reflect common co-occurring conditions. The current analysis used self-report only, included only adults with developmental coordination disorder, and had no follow-up, so it describes patterns at one time and cannot show causes or treatment effects. The authors are occupational therapists and acknowledged bias toward advocating occupational therapy services for this population.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The publication types list the work as supported by non-U.S. government research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these participation patterns as proof that occupational therapy improves participation in young adults with developmental coordination disorder. The study only described self-reported patterns in 55 participants and did not test an intervention.