A comprehensive special educational diagnostic assessment of five-year-old children with developmental coordination disorder (case studies)

Year 2015, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 1 - 10, 01.07.2016

Tjasa Filipcic Jerneja Tercon

Abstract

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects different areas of an individual's everyday living and learning. Children with DCD are often diagnosed late, at school age, when difficulties with writing, organization and executive functions arise, even though one could have seen signs of probable DCD very early in childhood. The aim of this study was to further assess five-year-old, preschool children recognized as children with DCD, and develop a model for a comprehensive special educational diagnostic assessment of abilities and skills in five-year-old children with DCD. The comprehensive diagnostic assessment comprised observations and assessments of children’s everyday skills in their kindergartens. It also included semi-structured interviews with children, their parents and their preschool teachers. Further, children’s skills and abilities in all developmental domains (sensory and motor skills, cognitive abilities, social and emotional development, speech and language development, including emerging literacy skills, and early maths skills) were assessed. A qualitative analysis was undertaken to compare individual children’s comprehensive assessments. The developed model included both the strengths and weaknesses of the assessed children.

Keywords

Developmental coordination disorder, special education, comprehensive assessment, preschool children, strengths and weaknesses

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