Early identification: are speech/language-impaired toddlers at increased risk for Developmental Coordination Disorder?

• Published in: Child : care, health & development Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 325 - 332
• Main Authors: Gaines, R., Missiuna, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-05-2007
• Subjects: Child; Child development; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Coordination; Delayed Speech; Developmental Coordination Disorder; Developmental disabilities; Developmental Disabilities - epidemiology; Early intervention; Female; Humans; Kindergarten; Language Development Disorders - epidemiology; Language disorders; Male; Motor Skills Disorders - epidemiology; Ontario - epidemiology; Pediatrics; Speech; speech and language delay; Speech disordered young children; Speech Disorders - epidemiology; Toddlers; Young Children; Ontario; Canada
• ISSN: 0305-1862; 1365-2214
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00677.x

Background  Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a movement skill disorder which impacts upon a child’s ability to perform age‐appropriate self‐care and academic tasks. DCD is commonly comorbid with speech/language learning disabilities.
Aim  The present study was conducted to determine whether children who had been identified with speech/language delays as toddlers demonstrated characteristics of DCD and/or speech/language problems at kindergarten age.
Results  Speech/language and motor assessments who were followed up at 63–80 months of age. Of the 40 children, 18 showed evidence of significant motor impairment and two‐thirds of these met diagnostic criteria for DCD at follow‐up. Twelve children were identified as having persistent speech/language problems and, of these, nine presented with significant motor co‐ordination difficulties. Parental report of gross motor and fine motor problems at follow‐up correlated highly with actual motor impairment scores.
Conclusions  Young children who are in early intervention programmes for speech/language delays may have significant co‐ordination difficulties that will become more evident at kindergarten age when motor deficits begin to impact self‐care and academic tasks. Clinical implications for early recognition of motor issues by speech/language pathologists and the potential use of parental reporting tools are addressed.