DCD & ASD Imaging Intervention Study

Summary

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a child's ability to learn motor skills, such as tying shoelaces, learning to print, or riding a bicycle (APA 2013). It often co-occurs with other conditions, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Its high co-occurrence with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has only been permitted since 2013 so it is less well known. Recent neuroimaging studies have begun to unravel the neural underpinnings of each disorder; however, few brain imaging studies have included children with co-occurring DCD and ASD. The first aim of the proposed project is to understand brain structure and function in children with DCD+/-ASD. Despite high co-occurrence of DCD and ASD (Green 2009), motor impairment and functional problems are rarely the focus of therapy for children with ASD. Current best-practice for improving motor function is an approach called Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP). The second aim of this study is to examine effectiveness of this treatment approach for children with DCD+ASD and determine if there are brain changes and improvements in motor skills as a result of intervention. This novel project is the first to integrate brain imaging and motor-based rehabilitation in this population and builds on a current study examining brain changes in children with DCD (with and without co-occurring ADHD). Examining the neural basis of these motor difficulties in the presence or absence of co-occurring conditions will help to determine the neural correlates specific to DCD and whether the response to treatment differs in children with co-occurring conditions.

Conditions

• Motor Skills Disorders
• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

CO-OP Treatment Group

Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) is a cognitive approach to solving functional motor problems (Polatajko et al., 2001). Therapists teach children a global problem-solving strategy (Goal-Plan-Do-Check) as means to develop specific strategies for overcoming motor problems; the strategies are determined after a dynamic performance analysis by the therapist to determine where the "breakdown" is in performing the task. Occupational therapists trained in CO-OP will see children for one hour, once weekly for 10 weeks. Parents or caregivers will be encouraged to attend treat¬ment sessions so therapists can instruct them how to facilitate strategy use between treatment sessions. Children will select 3 functional motor goals to be addressed during treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Waterloo Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• University of British Columbia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jill G Zwicker, PhD · University of British Columbia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

8 Years

Max Age

12 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-02-20

Primary Completion

2021-06-30

Completion

2021-06-30

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations