Developmental coordination disorder and other non-verbal learning difficulties

This chapter provides coverage of developmental coordination disorder, non-verbal learning disability, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A developmental coordination disorder (DCD) manifests itself as lack of coordination between an individual's mental intention to act and the ability to get gross and fine muscles to carry out those intentions smoothly. The main requirement at Tier 1 is that the teachers who come into contact with the student with DCD are aware of his/her difficulties and do not see clumsiness as a form of carelessness or 'bad behaviour'. It is clear that Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention needs also to address the emotional and personal needs of DCD students. Some psychologists and occupational therapists claim that a condition exists in which children have great difficulty coping with constant input from environmental stimuli. The various learning and adjustment problems that can develop early in the child's life are now referred to under the umbrella term foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).