DCD MAY NOT BE A DISCRETE DISORDER

The primary aim of this paper is to explore some of the issues surroun ding the concept of DCD as a ''specific'' learning difficulty. Questio ns relating to the assessment and identification of DCD are addressed. The arguments we present are derived from data obtained in a study wh ich compared 224 children referred because of learning and attention p roblems (but not motor difficulties) and 155 typically developing chil dren. These 379 children were all assessed on a range of formal and in formal tests, including several sensorimotor tests. Working criteria f or classifying a child as DCD were derived. In addition to the high pr evalence figures obtained for DCD in this group of children, the degre e of comorbidity observed between DCD and the other developmental diso rders treading disability and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ) was also striking. These results prompted us to re-evaluate the usef ulness of discrete diagnostic categories, and to consider a reconceptu alization of childhood disorders in general. It is proposed that the c omorbidity found in childhood disorders reflects a single underlying e tiology: Atypical Brain Development. This deficit may be manifested in a variety of ways, including DCD, and explains why some childhood dis orders are so often seen together. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.