ABSTRACT
Historically, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) has perhaps been the most poorly recognized of the neurodevelopmental disorders. As one might canvass in this chapter, the reasons are complex and varied, ranging from considerable variation in the application of diagnostic labelling and criterion, to issues surrounding the appropriateness of assessment methods and the frequent comorbid presentation of DCD with other neurodevelopmental disorders. However, there is a growing awareness of the serious impact that delayed motor development has on the day-to-day lives of these individuals and their broader psycho-social and physical development. The first symptoms evident for children with DCD are commonly related to gross motor ability. The heterogenous and comorbid nature of DCD complicates the selection of appropriate assessment tools for identifying whether an individual's motor performance is "substantially below" that expected for a child's age. There are three main approaches to intervention: process-oriented, task-oriented, and conventional physical and occupational therapy.
