Perceptions of three terms to describe physical awkwardness in children

A survey examined the perceptions of 125 Ss who completed a 20-item Semantic Differential ratings for three terms: developmental dyspraxia (DD); developmental coordination disorder (DCD); clumsy child syndrome (CCS). Ss included parents, teachers, physicians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, and speech therapists. Analyses revealed significant main effects for term and role, and interactions between them on certain items. DD is perceived as severe, complex, strong, difficult, serious and technical, whereas CCS as mild, simple, weak, easy, humorous and nontechnical. Both DD and DCD are regarded as more sensitive, positive, graceful and objective than CCS. DD is considered more permanent than DCD and CCS. The meaning of the terms varies as a function of role surrounding children with physical awkwardness.