STACK

Description

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a very common but under-recognized health condition that affects 5-6% of children.  Many children with DCD experience frustration and anxiety because they struggle to perform many everyday activities.  In the STACK Study (which stands for Screening, Tracking and Assessing Coordination in Kids), students in Grades 4 to 8 in two school boards were screened to identify children who may have coordination difficulties.  Children who had attentional issues were also invited to take part because many children experience both types of challenges. Following screening, children and parents who agreed to participate had an occupational therapist come to their home to conduct an assessment of children's motor skills and to have a discussion with parents about whether or not children have any difficulty with academic and self-care tasks.  Children and parents were also asked to complete questionnaires about their social and emotional health.  Study results will help us learn more about how children with motor coordination difficulties and attentional difficulties are feeling about themselves and their participation in social and physical activities. We are currently in the process of analyzing data and hope to have results shortly.

Research Team

Cheryl Missiuna
John Cairney
Nancy Pollock
Kathryn MacDonald
Louis Schmidt
Dianne Russell
Nancy Heath
Theresa Petrenchik
Mary Law
Steven Hanna

Project Coordinator: Martha Cousins mcousin@mcmaster.ca 
ph: 905-525-9140 ext. 26850

Funders

Canadian Institutes for Health Research (2006 - 2009)

Outcomes/Measures

Population:
Motor Coordination (DCDQ)
Activity Preferences (CSAPPA)

Individual:
Motor Coordination (M-ABC)
Attention (CPRS)
Anxiety (SCARED)
Depression (CDI)
Intellectual Estimate (KBIT-2)

Resources

Encouraging Participation in Physical Activities
Finding an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist in Ontario
Resources for Parents and Youth
Resources to Share with Physicians
Resources about DCD

Presentations

Missiuna C, Cairney J, Pollock N, Cousins M, MacDonald K, Schmidt L, Russell D (accepted). Exploring the psychological consequences of developmental coordination disorder. Poster to be presented at the CAOT Annual Conference, June, 2009. Ottawa, ON.

Articles

Cairney, J., Missiuna, C., Veldhuizen, S., & Wilson, B. (2008). Evaluation of the psychometric
properties of the developmental coordination disorder questionnaire for parents (DCD-Q): Results from a community
based study of school-aged children. Human Movement Science, 27(6), 932-940.