Intervention for children with developmental coordination disorder: How robust is our recent evidence?

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Developmental Psychology
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Systematic and meta-analytical reviews are crucial for evaluating interventions for children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
• The number of such reviews has significantly increased since 2015, prompting an assessment of their quality.
• This meta-review specifically examines eight new reviews published between 2015 and 2019.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality of eight recent systematic and meta-analytical reviews on interventions for children with DCD.
• To assess the consistency of inclusion criteria, coverage of primary studies, and the quality of evidence used in these reviews.
• To determine if the increase in the quantity of reviews corresponds to an improvement in their methodological quality.

Main Methods:

• The study employed a meta-review approach to analyze eight selected review articles.
• Methodological quality of the included reviews was assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews, Second Edition (AMSTAR 2) tool.
• Key evaluation criteria included consistency of inclusion criteria, coverage of primary studies, and the quality of evidence underpinning conclusions.

Main Results:

• Significant variability was observed among the eight reviews regarding inclusion criteria, primary evidence sources, and evidence quality.
• Only one review met an acceptably high standard of overall methodology according to AMSTAR 2 criteria; the others exhibited serious flaws.
• The conclusions drawn across the reviewed studies were inconsistent, likely due to methodological differences.

Conclusions:

• An increase in the number of reviews on interventions for children with DCD has not been matched by a sufficient improvement in quality.
• Persistent methodological issues in these reviews undermine confidence in reported intervention effects.
• Further research is needed to ensure the reliability and validity of evidence regarding interventions for DCD.