Investigation of developmental coordination disorder in children with autistic spectrum disorder and those of typical development through educational observation

Τhe purpose of the present study was tο investigate pοssible differentiation in Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) levels of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and those of Typical Development, as well as the underlying additional difficulties and the non-motor factors of this possible differentiation, through the educators’ observation. Τhe sample consisted of 40 children aged from 6 to 12 years old. Twenty of them were diagnosed with ASD and the other 20 were characterized as typically developing children. In οrder to register the DCD levels of children, the “Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 Checklist” questionnaire was used. The questionnaires were completed by Physical Education teachers, after the 2 weeks observation procedure. Results showed that children of the two groups presented statistically significant differentiations in general levels of DCD (p< .05). 85% of children with ASD in contrast to 20% of those with Typical Development were found to experience severe motor clumsiness. Statistical analysis also indicated the significant effect of the gender on children’s motor performance (p< .05). The conclusion of this study was that children with ASD experienced significantly more increased levels of DCD than those of Typical Development, verifying the high comorbidity level between ASD and DCD. It was also indicated that children’s motor development played an influential role in their overall development, affecting several significant areas of their daily lives.