Abstract: (3426 Views)
Abstract
Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is one of the most common motor disorders in childhood. This disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) has been classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder, with four indications as follows: 1.The acquisition and learning of motor skills of this group of children, compared with their counterparts, is below the expected level. 2. Motor skills deficiencies cause disruption to everyday activities. 3. Symptoms of disorder are seen in the early stages of aging and 4. These motor deficiencies are not due to any other injury or disorder, such as mental disability, neurological status, and visual impairment. Many studies have been conducted on the prevalence of this disorder in various societies. The prevalence of DCD in different countries including the United States (6%), England (2%) and Greece (19%), is different, which indicates high discrepancies in the prevalence rate. In Iran, in two previous studies, it was 2.7%, which was lower than the global average. Various tools have been proposed to measure this impairment, while the MABC2 - second edition, is one of the most widely used tools for the diagnosis of children with motor problems. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of this disorder in 3-6-year-old children in Isfahan.
Methodology: This study is a descriptive study with one-time testing. Three hundred and eighty four children were randomly selected from schools and kindergartens in Isfahan city and then evaluated using the MABC2 test. Before conducting this study, the parents of the children declared their written consent to participate in the study and completed the demographic questionnaire. Then, after preliminary evaluation, the samples were tested. Tests were conducted by four qualified examiners and were conducted in accordance with the instructions given in the test booklet. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis statistics were used to statistical analyzes using SPSS software. Also, the significant level was considered as 0.05.
Results: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of DCD in this population is 9.4% if using the British norm of the test. This level was found in boys by 11% and girls by 7%. This rate is more than the cutoff point of %5 considered of the norm of the test for DCD disorder. Also, a range of 6 to 15 percent ranked among children at risk, which is 5% higher than the cut-off point of the test. A total of 24% of the children were within the range of the disorder or at risk. In addition, the results showed that young children had better performance. This means that with increasing age, the performance of the children under study was weakened in comparison with normal children.
Conclusion: The prevalence of DCD in the study population was higher than the expected level. Of course, this is where the British norm is the testing basis for the measure. Although MABC2 can be named as the best tool for identifying motor problems, a comprehensive set of tests and evaluations (such as using the DCDQ questionnaire to measure B and the MABC test to measure A, as well as Clinical observation) to investigate the disorder discussed. The higher prevalence rate of this study clarifies the need for a more coherent study in this regard compared to other studies conducted within the country.