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Toward a Hybrid Model of Developmental Coordination Disorder

  • Disorders of Motor (PH Wilson, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

This paper discusses the merits of a hybrid model of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), one that integrates cognitive neuroscience and ecological systems approaches. More specifically, we present an integrative summary of recent empirical work on DCD that enlist behavioural and neuroimaging methods and propose a theoretical interpretation through the lens of a hybrid model.

Findings

The review identifies two current hypotheses of DCD that find consistent support: the internal modelling deficit (IMD) and mirror neuron system (MNS) accounts. However, motor performance and brain activation patterns are not expressed in a uniform way under these hypotheses—motor deficits are manifested variously as a function of specific task and environmental constraints and condition severity. Moreover, we see evidence of compensatory processes and strategies.

Summary

Taken together, results support the broad hypothesis that children with DCD show distinct motor control deficits and differences in neural structure and function compared with typically developing children. However, researchers still have difficulty ascribing causation. The proposed hybrid (multi-component) model of DCD can help researchers generate novel hypotheses about specific mechanisms, explaining the constellation of deficits that is shown experimentally and observed clinically. This model can be applied to cognate disorders of childhood that affect movement and design of intervention.

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Notes

  1. Motor learning refers to processes associated with practice or experience that lead to a relatively permanent change in movement skill or capacity.

  2. Motor abilities are relatively enduring motor traits or capacities that have biological origins and that bias skill learning; biological-environmental interactions determine these abilities. Examples include muscle strength, movement speed and multi-limb coordination.

  3. Motor skill refers to a task (with a specific goal) that involves physical movement (e.g. free-throw shooting in basketball, walking on stepping stones, tying shoelaces). Skills are normally refined/learned with practice.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University (ACU), Melbourne, Australia

    Peter H. Wilson & Karen Caeyenberghs

  2. Centre for Disability and Development Research (CeDDR) | Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University (ACU), 115 Victoria Parade, Melbourne, VIC, 3450, Australia

    Peter H. Wilson, Karen Caeyenberghs & Bert Steenbergen

  3. University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Bouwien Smits-Engelsman

  4. Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Bert Steenbergen

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  1. Peter H. Wilson
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  2. Bouwien Smits-Engelsman
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Correspondence to Peter H. Wilson.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Disorders of Motor

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Wilson, P.H., Smits-Engelsman, B., Caeyenberghs, K. et al. Toward a Hybrid Model of Developmental Coordination Disorder. Curr Dev Disord Rep 4, 64–71 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-017-0115-0

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