Developmental coordination disorder subtypes in children: An unsupervised clustering.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects motor skill acquisition in children.
• Accurate diagnosis and subtyping of DCD are crucial for targeted interventions and understanding its etiology.
• Current classifications may not fully capture the heterogeneity within DCD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct subtypes of DCD in children using unsupervised clustering.
• To characterize the neuropsychological profiles of these DCD subtypes.
• To explore the clinical implications of DCD subtyping for prognosis and research.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 164 children diagnosed with DCD were analyzed.
• Unsupervised hierarchical clustering was performed using principal component analysis.
• Data included cognitive, motor, and visuospatial scores from standardized assessments.

Main Results:

• Four distinct subgroups of DCD were identified.
• Two subgroups presented with combined visuospatial and gestural difficulties.
• Two subgroups exhibited pure gestural disorders, primarily affecting speed or precision. A subgroup with severe visuospatial impairment showed the poorest overall performance.

Conclusions:

• Subtyping DCD based on distinct profiles offers valuable insights into prognosis and patient management.
• These identified subgroups provide a framework for homogeneous patient cohorts in future DCD research.
• Understanding these subtypes can guide tailored therapeutic strategies for children with DCD.