10 Intervention Tips for Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Here are several, research based, helpful intervention tips to follow when working with children with developmental coordination disorder:

1. Encourage practice of functional tasks required in the daily routine and everyday life.
2. Practice multiple, short sessions versus one long session i.e. practice a skill 5 minutes per day versus 35 minutes/week.
3. Vary the practice sessions.
4. Facilitate the use of cognitive strategies.  Ask the child to set goals, to self check skills and problem solve. 
5. Break down large tasks into smaller chunks.  
6. Use movement activities in different social settings in order for child to practice skills in a group setting.
7. Change the rules of games in order for the child to participate if necessary (i.e. change the size of a basketball hoop to be larger or lower down to the ground).
8. Differentiate the levels of activities if necessary. (i.e some students speed walk some students skip during a game of tag).
9. Little by little, increase the difficulty of the skills being taught.  Change one aspect of the skill at a time.  For example, practice kicking a large, stationary ball.  Next practice kicking a smaller stationary ball.  Next, kick a large, moving ball from 10 feet.
10. When the child begins to show progress offer praise and encouragement.  Slowly reduce the amount of support you provide i.e. less verbal cues or decrease pre-teaching of skills.

Reference:  UK DCD Concensus. Information for Allied Health Professionals on DCD. Retrieved from the web on 2/7/14 at http://www.movementmattersuk.org/dcd-dyspraxia-adhd-spld/developmental-disorders-documentation/information-for-allied-health-professionals.aspx.

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