Early identification: are speech/language-impaired toddlers at increased risk for Developmental Coordination
1Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada. gaines@cheo.on.ca
Insights
Children with early speech/language delays may show coordination difficulties, indicating Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), by kindergarten age. Early recognition of motor issues is crucial for intervention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Developmental psychology
- Speech-language pathology
Background:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects children's self-care and academic tasks.
- DCD frequently co-occurs with speech and language learning disabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if toddlers with speech/language delays exhibit DCD or speech/language issues at kindergarten age.
- To assess motor and speech/language development in children previously identified with early delays.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study tracking children from toddlerhood to 63-80 months.
- Utilized speech/language and motor assessments.
- Incorporated parental reports on motor skills.
Main Results:
- 18 of 40 children showed significant motor impairment, with two-thirds meeting DCD criteria.
- Nine children with persistent speech/language problems also had motor coordination difficulties.
- Parental reports strongly correlated with objective motor impairment scores.
Conclusions:
- Early speech/language delays may predict later motor coordination deficits, becoming apparent as children enter kindergarten.
- Highlights the need for speech-language pathologists to recognize potential motor issues.
- Suggests parental reporting tools can aid in identifying motor challenges.
Background:
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a movement skill disorder which impacts upon a child's ability to perform age-appropriate self-care and academic tasks. DCD is commonly comorbid with speech/language learning disabilities.
Aim:
The present study was conducted to determine whether children who had been identified with speech/language delays as toddlers demonstrated characteristics of DCD and/or speech/language problems at kindergarten age.
Results:
Speech/language and motor assessments who were followed up at 63-80 months of age. Of the 40 children, 18 showed evidence of significant motor impairment and two-thirds of these met diagnostic criteria for DCD at follow-up. Twelve children were identified as having persistent speech/language problems and, of these, nine presented with significant motor co-ordination difficulties. Parental report of gross motor and fine motor problems at follow-up correlated highly with actual motor impairment scores.
Conclusions:
Young children who are in early intervention programmes for speech/language delays may have significant co-ordination difficulties that will become more evident at kindergarten age when motor deficits begin to impact self-care and academic tasks. Clinical implications for early recognition of motor issues by speech/language pathologists and the potential use of parental reporting tools are addressed.
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