DETERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENTAL COORDINATION DISORDER LEVELS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Resumo

Background and Objective: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting 5-6% of children and youth. Few studies examined the prevalence rate of DCD in a variety of countries; however, there is no published study on the prevalence of DCD in Turkish children. This study therefore aimed to determine the prevalence rate of DCD among school-aged children in Turkey. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative design was adopted in this study. The criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5^th edition) were used to diagnose children with DCD. Participants were 856 children aged 6-9 years including 439 girls (51.17%) and 417 boys (48.83%) and their parents. Assessments were conducted using the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ'07) and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2). Results: The prevalence rate was found to be 8.53% for DCD among Turkish children aged 6 to 9 years. The prevalence rate ranged between 7.25% and 10.05% for the 6- to 9-year age groups. The range of prevalence rate was 7.62% to 15.09% and 4.90% to 8.74% in the girl and boy children, respectively. Despite some not significant differences, the prevalence rate of DCD were found to be similar across age and gender. Conclusion: Regardless of age and gender, the prevalence of DCD is relatively high among school-aged children in Turkey. Implementation of diagnostic and intervention strategies in primary schools is strongly recommended.