M.A.T.C.H. Flyers: A Resource for Educators

Download the M.A.T.C.H. Flyers below:

Coordination Difficulties: 

Developmental Coordination Disorder:

Developmental Coordination Disorder (French):

Recognizing Motor Difficulties

Coordination difficulties in school-aged children 

A considerable number of school-aged children demonstrate poorly developed motor coordination. This impairment significantly interferes with their academic achievement and/or activities of daily living. Motor coordination difficulties may exist in isolation OR may co-occur with other conditions such as language-based or non-verbal learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Children presenting with coordination difficulties that significantly impact their daily functioning may be described as having Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Children with these types of coordination difficulties usually have average or above average intellectual abilities.

What will a teacher see if a child has coordination difficulties?

  • The child may appear to be clumsy or awkward in his/her movements. He/She may bump into, spill or knock things over frequently.
  • The child may experience difficulty with gross motor skills (e.g., running, hopping, climbing), fine motor skills (e.g., pre-printing tasks, cutting with scissors, doing up buttons or zippers), or both.
  • The child’s motor skills might not match his/her abilities in other areas. For example, intellectual and language skills may be quite strong while motor skills are delayed.
  • The child may have difficulty learning new motor skills. Once learned, however, certain motor skills may be performed quite well while others may be performed poorly
  • The child may avoid or appear to be uninterested in particular activities, especially those that require physical activity.
  • The child may experience secondary emotional problems, such as low frustration tolerance, decreased self-esteem and lack of motivation.
  • The child may have difficulty with activities of daily living. For example, getting dressed, feeding him/herself, opening lunch materials, and managing in the bathroom.

What can a teacher do to help a child perform at school?

The most important thing a teacher can do to help a child reach his/her full potential is to make sure the task and the learning environment are right for the child. The following “M.A.T.C.H.” strategy will help to match the activity to the child.

Modify the Task

This involves changing aspects of an activity that are too difficult for the child to perform. The important thing about modifying a task is that the child can still experience success if they make a genuine effort to participate in the activity.

Alter your Expectations

Consider what the ultimate goal of an activity is and then think about where you can be flexible. Allowing extra time or alternate methods of completing a task can make the difference between a lesson learned and an experience of failure for a child with DCD.

Teaching Strategies

Children with poor coordination have full capacity to learn with their peers, but may require a slightly different teaching approach. Investigate alternate teaching strategies designed for children with special needs.

Change the Environment

Pay attention to what is going on around a child when he/she is experiencing success or difficulty (i.e. noise, level of activity, visual distractions). Minimize the environmental factors that make performance difficult for the child.

Help by Understanding

Understanding the nature of DCD will help you to problem solve and provide all of your students with rich learning experiences. If children feel supported and understood, they are more likely to attempt new activities and to persevere until they achieve success.

Junior and Senior Kindergarten MATCH Sheet

Hayley is 5 years old and enjoys many of the activities in her kindergarten program. She likes circle-time, sharing stories and playing with her friends at the sand and water centres and in dramatic plays. She doesn’t like craft activities, has trouble using scissors, drawing and printing her letters. Hayley needs help with her shoes and coat to get ready for outdoor play and at the end of the morning. She is an eager student and follows classroom routines very well. Hayley is quite sociable and has developed some friendships. In outdoor play, she seems very cautious and frequently spends time sitting and talking with other children and the teachers.

What you might see...
How can you MATCH?

Avoids colouring or pre-printing activities

  • Provide thin markers or thicker pencils. 
  • Try a rubber pencil grip to assist with grasp.
  • If letter recognition is the focus, allow children to identify by pointing, or to use magnetic letters or pictures of letters. 
  • Use alternate media (e.g., chalkboard, sand, Magnadoodle). 
  • Reduce the amount of coloring required.
  • Create a quiet workspace with minimal novel/auditory distractions for your “writing center”. 
  • Encourage/reinforce any pencil and paper work. 

Avoids arts/crafts (cutting, pasting) 

  • Encourage the child to complete a small section of a larger task. 
  • Provide glue sticks.
  •  Provide good quality or adapted scissors.
  • Encourage creativity and individuality rather than endproducts.
  • Partner with another child who can help during gluing/cutting. 
  • Pre-cut/paste parts for them.

Has difficulty handling puzzle pieces 

  • If the goal is to develop perceptual abilities, allow the child to point to pieces and indicate where to place them/have someone put the piece in place. 
  • Use puzzles with knobs on them for easier grasp. Provide larger foam floor puzzles (e.g., alphabet, shapes, numbers) that are easier to manipulate. 

Last to get ready for recess and home, has a messy/untidy appearance 

  • Suggest to parents to place a toggle on zipper of jacket or coat. 
  • Suggest Velcro shoes and fasteners, or clothes such as T-shirts and sweat pants. 
  • Allow more time to get dressed, or send the child out earlier than classmates. 
  • Teach all children order of dressing/undressing (e.g., “snow-pants-first” song). 
  • Pair with an older student to help.
  • Label or provide visual cues for front/back/right/left.
  • Ensure child has enough space to dress– may want to have child in an end cubby or have a few children get ready on the carpet. 
  • Enable success by helping child with most steps except the one or two that they can do. 

Takes a long time to eat a snack 

  • Suggest easy containers (e.g., Ziploc bags instead of rigid plastic, plastic juice container with pull up straw). 
  • Suggest lunch box or bag with Velcro not zippers.
  • Ensure proper seating (feet flat on floor, chair pulled up to table), not eating on the carpet.

Avoids playground equipment and games; plays alone at recess 

  • Teach how to use equipment (both the rules of games and the movements required). 
  • Be patient if the child needs multiple attempts to master a task. 
  • Practice using the equipment in off hours.

Clumsy; hesitates to participate in gym class 

  • Use balloons or Nerf balls to decrease anxiety.
  • Emphasize fun, activity and participation rather than proficiency. 
  • Be aware of safety risks to a child with poor coordination.
  • Use a fun and consistent warm up and cool down routine that the child can master and participate in fully.

Trips and stumbles frequently; has difficulty with uneven surfaces 

  • Remove any unnecessary items from floor.
  • Highlight stairs and level changes with yellow tape.
  • Use gym floor rather than outside for learning new tasks.
  • Observe patterns of classroom flow and clear wider spaces in these zones. 

Leans on people or objects, especially during circle time

  • Break up longer circle times with little songs and low-skill movement opportunities. 
  • Allow frequent altering of position (e.g., sit instead of stand, lie on stomach instead of sit). 
  • Provide appropriate opportunities for leaning (e.g., wall, furniture) and allow child to do so. 

Easily frustrated/low tolerance for motor tasks; decreased self-esteem & motivation to perform, resists new activities 

  • Easily frustrated/low tolerance for motor tasks; decreased self-esteem & motivation to perform, resists new activities.
  • Break the activity into small parts and teach in sequence.
  • Be available to assist/intervene when the child has difficulty. 
  • Use backward chaining where the child completes only last part(s) of task successfully. 
  • Provide lots of positive reinforcement for child’s attempts to try new activities.
  • Reassure the child when he or she has difficulty.

Rushes through tasks or is unusually slow; gives up easily 

  • Allow more time to complete an activity.
  • If the goal is to promote speed, accept less accurate product. 
  • Have child complete less, but within the time frame.
  • Ensure child is aware of expectations for the task.
  • Encourage self-evaluation. 

Grade 1 and Grade 2 Match Sheet

Kyle, a six-year-old boy, is starting to think there is something wrong with him. He looks like everybody else, but he feels different. He has trouble doing up the button on his jeans, he can’t hit a baseball, his teacher can’t read his printing, and he can’t tie his shoes. It seems like all the other kids in his class can do these things easily and quickly. Kyle’s parents sensed there was something wrong with their son from the time he entered the preschool program. They noticed some subtle problems with learning daily tasks, a very low tolerance for frustration and have seen him become more isolated from his peers. Kyle’s teacher feels frustrated with him. He seems to be bright enough and can tell very interesting and complex stories, but he really seems to struggle whenever he has to do anything. Printing, getting ready for recess, eating his lunch, arts and crafts and activities in gym class seem really laborious for him and he takes a long time to complete most tasks. She tells him to focus and to try harder, but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

What you might see...
How can you MATCH?

Avoids colouring and has poor written output 

  • Allow the child to dictate stories to a scribe.
  • Avoid unnecessary writing (e.g., date and/or title of book when doing reading responses; only write the spelling word, not the entire sentence). 
  • Reduce the amount of written work required (especially when printing is not the primary focus). 
  • Use fill-in-the-blank worksheets; photocopy math questions so the child only has to fill in the answer. 
  • Create a balance between written, oral, and pictorial responses. 
  • Explicitly teach printing using multisensory means and allow time for practice and consolidation.

Slow to finish written work, often incomplete

  • Allow more time to complete work.
  • If speed is the objective, accept a less accurate end product (and vice versa). 
  • Reduce amount of output required (e.g., do odd-numbered questions only). Be clear about what you need in order for child to demonstrate understanding or to meet grade level expectations. 
  • Teach child to self-evaluate. 

Messy / disorganized desk

  • Ensure students have enough time between activities to put materials in their desks neatly. 
  • Teach and review with all students how to organize their desks.
  • Provide visual cues or labeling to assist with effective use of space (i.e., for pencils, notebooks, etc.). 
  • Minimize what children keep in their desks. Instead use bins (e.g., language bin, math bin, etc.). 
  • Use containers that are fixed to desktop for pencils, pens, and scissors. 

Last to get ready for recess and home, or has messy/untidy appearance 

  • Allow more time, or send child out earlier than classmates.
  • Pair with older student for help.
  • Label or provide visual cues for front/back/right/left.
  • Suggest Velcro or clothes without fasteners, such as T-shirts and sweat pants. 
  • Ensure child has enough space to dress – use end cubby or locker. 
  • Provide a chair or bench for dressing.
  • Keep end of day routines consistent.

Takes a long time to eat a snack or lunch 

  • Suggest easy containers (e.g., Ziploc bags instead of rigid plastic, plastic juice container with pull up straw, lunch bags with Velcro closure). 
  • Provide the opportunity for a few of the children to get ‘setup’ for lunch a few minutes early. 
  • Suggest finger foods only.

Avoids playground equipment and games; plays alone at recess 

  • Develop a bank of toys that the child is comfortable using and loan these out to 3-4 kids at recess to help create social play opportunities. 
  • Consider recess buddies (entire class is paired up at recess).
  • Teach how to use equipment (rules of games and movements required). 
  • Be patient if the child needs multiple attempts to master a task. 
  • Practice on the playground equipment in off hours.

Clumsy; hesitates to participate in gym class 

  • Use large blow up balls, balloons or Nerf balls to decrease anxiety. 
  • Emphasize fun, activity, and participation rather than proficiency. 
  • Be aware of safety risks to a child with poor coordination.

Trips and stumbles frequently; has difficulty with uneven surfaces 

  • Remove any unnecessary items from floor.
  • Use gym floor rather than outside field for learning new tasks.
  • Place child’s desk on the end of a row and near materials that he/she will need to access. 
  • Mark level changes or stairs with yellow tape.
  • Observe traffic patterns and create open pathways in these zones

Poor posture (slumps forward onto desk); leans on people or objects; lies down at circle time; falls off chair in classroom 

  • Ensure well-supported desk position (i.e., chair is close to writing surface, feet can touch the floor, chair seat is flat).
  • Allow frequent altering of positioning (e.g., sit instead of stand, working on the floor). 
  • Allow child to sit next to (and lean back onto) a bookshelf or wall at circle time, instead of leaning on other children. 

Easily frustrated/low tolerance for motor tasks; resists new activities; decreased self-esteem & motivation to perform 

  • Think about and reduce the amount of movement that is required to perform the activity.
  • Break the activity into small parts.
  • Teach each skill component discretely to allow success.
  • Be available to assist/intervene when the child has difficulty.
  • Provide lots of encouragement for child’s attempts to try new activities. 
  • Reassure the child when he/she has difficulty.

Rushes through tasks or is unusually slow; gives up easily 

  • Encourage self-evaluation of process (e.g., “I did my best.” or “I did this quickly and it doesn’t look as good”, etc.).
  • Allow more time to complete an activity.
  • If the goal is to promote speed, accept a less accurate product (and vice versa). 
  • Reduce amount of written work required so that the child can finish within the same time period as their peers.

Grade 3 and Grade 4 Match Sheet

Michael seems like an absent-minded professor. He looks a bit disheveled; his shirt is untucked, zippers are often undone, he has food on his face, his shoelaces are untied. He is clumsy in his movements and looks very awkward when he runs. He is interested in science and science fiction and enjoys reading. He is always the last child out for recess and wanders the perimeter fence for most of the time. The other children tease him, but he doesn’t seem to really take much notice. He enjoys talking to the teachers, but doesn’t seem to interact with his classmates. His teacher frequently has to re-direct him to the task at hand. He works very slowly and often has to finish his work at home. He is progressing academically, but seems to lack motivation or enthusiasm for learning

What you might see...
How can you MATCH?

Performs poorly on academic tests (e.g., spelling – can’t finish writing a word before next word given in a dictation; math – can’t line up math columns correctly) 

  • Photocopy math questions, use oral spelling dictations (instead of written), only write the spelling word, not the whole sentence. 
  • Use prepared sheets when possible (e.g., spelling tests with the rest of the sentence written). 
  • Allow more time to complete the task.
  •  Use fill-in-the-blank sheets.
  • Evaluate what you actually need to ‘see’ to know child has met curriculum expectations. 
  • Find a balance between oral, written and demonstrative tests. 

Difficulty learning cursive writing and/or written work is illegible 

  • Allow oral stories to be dictated to a scribe.
  • Introduce keyboarding and allow dedicated time for practice. Allow the child to use the computer for draft copies, not just for final copies. 
  • Reduce the amount of written work required (especially when handwriting is not the focus). 
  • Photocopy math questions so the child only has to write the answer.
  • Utilize a cursive writing program that teaches the letters with a multisensory approach. 
  • Allow students to express themselves using oral, pictorial, diagrammatic and written means. 

Breaks pencil leads frequently when printing or fatigues easily 

  • Encourage use of thicker pencils, pencil grips, markers, roller-pens. Angle the writing surface to promote better hand position. 

Slow to finish written work, often incomplete 

  • Allow more time to complete work.
  • If speed is the objective, accept a less accurate end product (and vice versa).
  • Consider using graphic organizers that will show the child’s organizational skills and conceptual understanding of materials.
  • Minimize time spent copying ‘non-essentials’ (i.e., date, title of story).
  • Slow to finish written work, often incomplete
  • Evaluate amount of output you actually require to assess student’s understanding. 

Messy / disorganized desk

  • Provide visual cues or labeling to assist with effective use of space (e.g., for pencils and notebooks).
  • Use colour-coded workbooks.
  • Schedule a weekly ‘desk cleaning’ period.
  • Teach child how to organize his/her desk with their input. 
  • Use a separate space with a bin for child’s belongings. 

Last to get ready for recess and home, or has messy/untidy appearance 

  • Complete agenda prior to going home time to avoid ‘panic’.
  • Allow more time to dress for gym class, outdoor time & home (send child out earlier than classmates, don’t comment if child comes in late after changing).
  • Suggest Velcro or clothes without fasteners, such as T-shirts and sweat pants. Label or provide visual cues for front/back/right/left. 
  • Ensure enough space to dress/undress at locker (end locker). 

Takes a long time to eat lunch 

  • Suggest easy containers (Ziploc bags instead of rigid plastic, plastic juice container with pull up straw instead of juice boxes). 

Clumsy and hesitant in gym class (e.g., poor throwing, catching, kicking, hitting of balls); poor performance in playground games such as dodgeball or baseball; often the last chosen for team sports 

  • Use large balls, under-inflated balls, balloons, beanbags or Nerf balls to reduce injury.
  • Keep the environment consistent whenever possible.
  • When a new skill can be taught using hand-over-hand instruction, consider teaching the new skills to the class by demonstrating first with the child with DCD. This allows the child to “feel” the movement and receive one on one practice.
  • Put children who have similar abilities in small groups to work on skills.
  • Emphasize fun, activity, and participation rather than proficiency.
  • Be aware of safety risks to a child with poor coordination.
  • Encourage self and peer evaluation regarding participation and effort. 
  • Provide parents with gym curriculum so they can practice skills at home prior to class. 

Trips and stumbles frequently; has difficulty with uneven surfaces 

  • Remove any unnecessary items from floor.
  • Use gym floor rather than outside field for learning new tasks.
  • Observe traffic patterns and clear wider spaces in these areas.
  • Have child’s desk on the outside row and near materials that they will need.
  • Trips and stumbles  frequently; has difficulty with uneven surfaces
  • Mark the stair edges, doorsills, and changes of level with yellow tape. 

Bumps into people, objects 

  • Ensure unobstructed pathways to frequently used areas of classroom (e.g., pencil sharpener, teacher’s desk, exit doorways).
  • Seat child in edge desk.
  • Allow child to be first in line. 

Poor posture (slumps forward on desk); leans on people or objects; falls off chair in classroom 

  • Ensure well-supported desk position (chair is close to writing surface, chair seat is flat, feet can touch the floor). 
  • Allow frequent altering of positioning (e.g., sit instead of stand, use of the floor, bean bag chairs). Allow child to lean on furniture or wall during times when children are sitting on the floor. 

Difficulty following through with instructions, needs frequent reminders to stay on task; may need assistance to complete tasks 

  • Use verbal and/or visual reminders to stay on task.
  • Keep activities as routine as possible.
  • Use consistent instructions for similar tasks.
  • Use heterogeneous mixed-ability groups to allow you to
  • circulate to all groups, while ensuring some group members will
  • help keep students on track.
  • Teach children to monitor and evaluate time on task. 
  • Prepare children for transitions. 

Easily frustrated/low tolerance for motor tasks; resists new activities; decreased self-esteem & motivation to perform 

  • Think about and reduce the amount of movement that is required to perform the activity.
  • Break the activity into small parts.
  • Be available to assist/intervene when the child has difficulty.
  • Allow extra time for teaching and practice.
  • Provide lots of praise for child’s attempts to try new activities. 
  • Reassure the child when he or she has difficulty. 

Rushes through tasks or is unusually slow; gives up easily 

  • Ensure child has enough time to finish task – may need to decrease amount of work required.
  • Allow more time to complete an activity.
  • If the goal is to promote speed, accept less accurate product (and vice versa).
  • Encourage students to self-evaluate both product and process. 

Grade 5 and 6 Match Sheet

Lauren is a diligent worker who tries very hard to please her parents and her teachers. She attends well in class and works well independently. She has tremendous difficulty in completing written work, whether in printing or writing. She sits rigidly at her desk, holds her pencil in a very tight grasp and frequently puts holes in the paper due to the pressure she puts on her pencil. She erases her work excessively. She appears to be very anxious in class and gets quite teary several times a week. She has one friend who is in another class that she plays with consistently at recess, but otherwise keeps to herself. Her parents are concerned as Lauren frequently says she doesn’t feel well and doesn’t want to go to school. She often cries in the morning before the bus arrives to take her to school.

What you might see...
How can you MATCH?

Difficulty keeping up with volume of handwriting required for assignments (i.e., unable to keep up with note taking in class or complete essays in time required); complains of hands being tired; poor written product 

  • Collaborate with parents. Educate them regarding how to be a scribe without influencing the content.
  • Reduce amount of writing required.
  • Allow draft and final copies of written work to be done on the computer.
  • Photocopy notes from class and teach the child how to highlight key information.
  • Allow more time to complete in-class assignments.
  • If encouraging speed, accept less accurate product (and vice versa). 

Performs poorly on academic tests (e.g., spelling – can’t finish writing a word before next word given in a dictation; math – can’t line up math columns correctly) 

  • Photocopy math questions; use oral spelling dictations instead of written; only write spelling word, not full sentence.
  • Allow dictation to a scribe or a tape recorder for tests requiring longer answers.
  • Allow more time to complete the test.
  • Use fill-in-the blank sheets.
  • Evaluate what you need to ‘see’ to know the child has met curriculum expectations. 

Desk is messy, disorganized; difficulties with self-organization (making sure to take necessary things home to complete homework)

  • Daily checklist to prepare knapsack for home (child should be
  • directly involved in generating the list). Keep knapsack close by and put homework in throughout the day.
  • Schedule a weekly desk cleaning time.
  • Teach child how to use agenda book, ensuring the child has enough time to fill in/complete fully.
  • Photocopy routine homework assignments and paste in agenda so the child only has to add in detail (e.g., math page numbers).
  • Teach and review with all children how to organize their desk.
  • Provide visual cues or labeling to assist with desk layout (i.e., for pencils, notebooks, etc.). 
  • Use colour coded books and materials when possible. 

Clumsy and hesitant in gym class (poor throwing, catching, kicking, hitting of balls); poor performance in playground games such as dodgeball, baseball; often the last chosen for team sports 

  • Use large balls, under-inflated balls, beanbags or Nerf balls to reduce injury.
  • Use large target areas for striking/hitting games.
  • Keep the environment consistent whenever possible.
  • When a new skill can be taught using hand-over-hand instruction, consider teaching the new skills to the class by demonstrating first with the child with DCD. This allows the child to “feel” the movement and receive one on one practice.
  • Put children who have similar abilities together in groups.
  • Emphasize fun, activity, and participation rather than proficiency.
  • Be aware of safety risks to a child with poor coordination. 
  • Give child a different role (e.g., team organizer, umpire, recorder) during sports that are really difficult or dangerous. 

Bumps into people or objects 

  • Ensure unobstructed pathways to frequently-used areas of classroom (e.g., pencil sharpener, teacher’s desk, exit doorways).
  • Mark doorsills visually (e.g., line with yellow tape).
  • Seat child in edge desk of a row. 
  • Allow child to be first in line. 

Messy / untidy appearance, slow to dress 

  • Allow more time to dress for gym class, outdoor time & home (send child out earlier than classmates).
  • Have parent label clothes to identify back. 
  • Suggest Velcro or clothes such as T-shirts and sweat pants. 

Difficulty following through with instructions, needs frequent reminders to stay on task; may need assistance to complete tasks 

  • Use verbal and/or visual reminders to stay on task.
  • Keep activities as routine as possible.
  • Use consistent instructions for similar tasks.
  • Teach children to self-evaluate time on task.
  • Break down longer activity into parts and have child check in with teacher or check off each stage as it is achieved. 
  • Teach students to work cooperatively and to use each other as resources. 

Easily frustrated/low tolerance for motor tasks; decreased self-esteem & motivation to perform, resists new activities 

  • Think about and reduce the amount of movement that is required to perform the activity.
  • Break the activity into smaller parts and provide encouragement.
  • Be available to assist/intervene when the child has difficulty.
  • Allow extra time for teaching and practice.
  • Provide lots of praise for child’s attempts to perform new activities. 
  • Reassure the child when he or she has difficulty. 

Rushes through tasks or is unusually slow; gives up easily 

  • Allow extra time to complete an activity.
  • If the goal is to promote speed, accept less accurate product (and vice versa).
  • Encourage children to self-evaluate process and product. 
  • Ensure the child has enough time to complete assigned tasks within the allotted time.

Grade 7 and 8 Match Sheet

Ben is turned off school. He struggles to get through the days and experiences many frustrations. He has a very difficult time with written work and is becoming quieter and more socially isolated as time passes. He never seems to have the right books for class, can’t find his homework, is unprepared for tests and his grades have slipped. He has one friend at school that he spends most of his time with and they enjoy comic books and computer games. Both boys are frequently the subject of teasing. Ben is not involved in any extra-curricular activities and spends his time at home, watching TV and playing on the computer. Ben does well in the oral parts of the curriculum and seems to be a bright boy, but he is underachieving. His parents are not sure where to turn.

What you might see...
How can you MATCH?

Difficulty keeping up with volume of handwriting required for assignments-slow; poor written output; often incomplete/poor note-taking reflected in school performance; crucial information missed, unable to listen well and take notes simultaneously; complains of hands being tired 

  • Reduce amount of writing required. 
  • Allow rough and final drafts of written work on computer.
  • Photocopy notes from class and teach the child how to pick out key meanings while peers are copying from board.
  • Allow more time to complete in-class assignments.
  • If encouraging speed, accept a less accurate product (and vice versa).
  • When possible, send home ‘lecture’ notes a day early and encourage students to preview.
  • Allow parents to type up final drafts.
  • Ensure that all written output is necessary – ask yourself “What skill is this demonstrating to me?” 
  • Provide technological accommodations wherever possible (e.g., word processing, voice to text software). 

Difficulties with self-organization (e.g., making sure to take necessary things home to complete homework, moving self and belongings between classes) 

  • Daily checklist to prepare knapsack for home. Child should be directly involved in generating the list.
  • Explicitly teach organization skills to the class and follow up with individuals as needed.
  • Teach child to use agenda effectively. 
  • Provide an extra shelf or labeling in locker. Post daily schedule in locker and color code the same subject across days. 

Clumsy in gym class; performance in team (competitive) games is not equal to performance in individual games 

  • Allow child to choose non-competitive games when possible (e.g., running, swimming, cycling, skating, skiing); in these activities, performance is measured against self.
  • Put children with similar abilities together to work on new skills.
  • Emphasize fun, activity and participation/fitness rather than proficiency. 
  • Be aware of safety risks to a child with poor coordination. 

Bumps into people,/objects 

  • Ensure unobstructed pathways to frequently used areas of classroom (e.g., pencil sharpener, teacher’s desk, exit doorways); seat the child in edge desk of the row. 
  • Allow child to leave early to go to next class or to the bus. 

Messy/untidy appearance, slow to dress 

  • Allow more time to dress for gym class, outdoor time & home (e.g., send child out earlier than classmates). 

Difficulty following through with instructions, needs frequent reminders to stay on task; may need assistance to complete tasks 

  • Use verbal and/or visual reminders to stay on task.
  • Keep activities as routine as possible. 
  • Use consistent instructions for similar tasks. 

Easily frustrated/low tolerance for motor tasks; resists new activities; decreased self-esteem & motivation to perform 

  • Think about and reduce the amount of movement that is required to perform the activity.
  • Break the activity into small parts.
  • Be available to assist/intervene when the child has difficulty.
  • Allow extra time for teaching and practice.
  • Provide lots of praise for child’s attempts to perform new activities. 
  • Reassure the child when he or she has difficulty. 

Rushes through tasks or is unusually slow; gives up easily 

  • Allow extra time to complete an activity.
  • If the goal is to promote speed, accept less accurate product (and vice versa).
  • Encourage children to self-evaluate process and product. 
  • Ensure child has time to complete assigned tasks within the allotted time frame. 

Adolescent Match Sheet

Shawn is in his first year of high school, and is very frustrated. He has difficulty with all written work. Shawn is often late for class, books and pencils are frequently left behind and individual papers are "lost" in his locker. He is a good reader, and does well with oral assignments. His contributions in English class are well thought out, however few written assignments are completed. Other than computer, all of his teachers have expressed concern regarding his performance. Shawn hates physical education class and skips it much of the time. He has joined the computer club, and his only friends are two other members. All three are called “nerds” by other students. At home, he spends most of his time playing video games and computer games. His parents had hoped that the transition to high school would alleviate the difficulties of middle school, however he has continued to struggle academically and socially and they are very concerned.

What you might see...
How can you MATCH?

Difficulty with transitions to high school 

  • Ask for information from elementary school
  • Arrange for individual visits to the school ahead of time
  • Ensure a specific staff person is assigned to the student
  • Develop a timetable that is balanced across terms
  • Ask an older student to be a buddy 
  • If the student is taking public transportation, use a bus pass rather than individual tickets 

Difficulty keeping up with volume of writing 

  • Decrease expectations regarding volume of homework
  • Reduce the amount of copying from the board or text
  • Provide printouts of notes ahead of time
  • Permit audiotapes to be made of lectures
  • Arrange for another student to scribe, then photocopy notes 
  • Use a laptop computer as needed (a system will need to be in place for saving and transferring work, recharging and printing from the laptop) 

Difficulty with self-organization – books, papers, getting to class on time, meeting deadlines 

  • Place the student’s locker in a central place
  • Arrange for a key lock rather than a combination and provide a spare locker key (keep key on string)
  • Provide organizer software, colour-coded disks or memory sticks for different subjects, set up the system with the student, and explicitly teach the student to use it
  • Encourage use of one large zippered binder with tabs for subjects
  • Allow for the use of notebooks, not individual papers
  • Post extra copies of the student's timetable in their locker 
  • Suggest that an extra pencil case is kept at home 

Difficulty completing homework 

  • Ensure clear communication between home and school
  • Have a buddy network with phone numbers
  • Provide essay templates and the use of study techniques
  • Provide time at the end of each day to ensure that the student has: 1) a written list of the homework, and 2) textbooks and notebooks needed for homework in his/her bag 

Difficulty completing exams 

  • Provide extra time in exams
  • Allow the student to complete exams in another room
  • Allow the student to write the exam on a laptop
  • For practical exams, provide extra time to practice 

Avoidance of physical education, extracurricular sports 

  • Ensure that the student has sufficient time before and after gym for changing or schedule gym first thing or at the end of the day so student only needs to change once
  • Encourage use of fitness machines and weight room – introduce equipment to the student on his/her own or in a small group
  • Buddy with an older student to target some fitness goals 
  • Encourage involvement in other intramural activities – drama, martial arts, music, photography, computers, debate team 

Difficulty with motor aspect of subjects 

  • Try a roller ball pen instead of ink pen
  • Allow the student to use his/her own fingering for keyboarding
  • Have the student work in pairs for subjects such as chemistry
  • Provide adapted tools – e.g. ridged ruler, pens with rubber grippers, non-slip mat under protractor (math) or bowls (food sciences), graph paper for lining up math problems
  • Provide pre-drawn maps in geography, a scribe to draw objects in art
  • Consider classes that will be a good fit, given the student’s abilities and challenges
  • For co-op courses, have the student practice tasks in school first 

If a child is still experiencing difficulty performing motor tasks despite your best efforts, consider speaking with his/her parents about making a referral to a health professional.

Who else should this child see?

Encourage the family to see their family physician. It is important that a medical practitioner rule out other conditions that might explain the child’s motor coordination difficulties. A physician, teacher or parent can refer the child to an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists (OT) are educated and trained in analyzing motor skill development and also in determining the ability of a child to cope with the demands and activities of everyday life. The OT will observe and assess the child and may then make recommendations including: specific strategies for handwriting and classroom tasks; tips to make self-care tasks easier; activities to improve the child’s motor coordination; ideas for community leisure and sports activities; and techniques to ensure that the child experiences success. A referral to a physiotherapist may also be appropriate if the child has gross motor difficulties (balance, running, stair climbing and other forms of physical activity).

References and Further Information

The term “Developmental Coordination Disorder” (DCD) has only recently received the attention and acceptance of practitioners and researchers in health care and educational fields. Very little has been published about students with DCD in professional journals and even less has been written in the popular press or parenting magazines. A synopsis of many of the books that are relevant for individuals with DCD is available on the CanChild website.

Authors

Cheryl Missiuna, Ph.D., OT Reg. (Ont.) 
Professor and Scientist
School of Rehabilitation Science and CanChild 
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
missiuna@mcmaster.ca


Nancy Pollock, M.Sc., OT Reg. (Ont.)
Associate Clinical Professor and Scientist
School of Rehabilitation Science and CanChild
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
pollock@mcmaster.ca