A pilot trial of a cognitive treatment for children with developmental coordination disorder

This pilot study compared a new treatment approach, the Cognitive Orientati on to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) to the Contemporary Treatment Approach (CTA) to treating children with Developmental Coordination Disorde r (DCD). CO-OP emphasises problem-solving strategies and guided discovery o f child and task specific strategies. CTA encompasses a variety of approach es, such as neuromuscular, multi-sensory, and biomechanical, focusing on mo tor aspects of skill acquisition. Twenty children with a mean age of 9.05 y ears (S.D. = 1.23) participated in the study. All children had normal intel ligence, scored below the 15th percentile on a standardised test of motor a bility, and demonstrated motor difficulties significant enough to warrant r eferral for treatment. Pre- and post-measures included the Canadian Occupat ional Performance Measure (COPM), the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VA BS), the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP), the Develop mental Test of Visual-Motor Integration-Revised (VMI), the motor items of t he Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC), and the Performance Quality Rating Scale (PQRS). In both groups, treatment goals were child-chosen. Bo th treatments lead to improved COPM self-ratings of performance and satisfa ction: however. improvements in the CO-OP group were greater than those in the CTA group. These results were paralleled by PQRS scores, and the Motor scores on the VABS. but not on the BOTMP measures. This outcome still needs replication as no control group M;as involved and because of the occurrenc e of pre-treatment differences between the CO-OP and CTA groups on relevant measures. Follow-up data indicated that children who received CO-OP tended to experience greater long-term maintenance of their motor goals and acqui red strategies: follow-up parent-report rated CO-OP treatment as more usefu l than CTA treatment. Self-report. observer report, standardised assessment , and follow-up all demonstrated the effectiveness of the CO-OP approach, s upporting the use of CO-OP and suggesting further investigation of this new cognitive intervention. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .