Resources, Assessment & Diagnosis

A diagnosis for developmental dyspraxia/developmental coordination disorder (DCD) can be difficult to get in New Zealand as there is a lack of appropriately trained people and no agreed upon diagnostic pathway.

Usually people will have an assessment that highlights difficulty with coordination and often with executive functioning as well as planning and processing. If a diagnosis isn’t given the recommendations in the reports are as good as a diagnosis.

For childen a referral to the paediatric department at Te Whatu Ora from the GP can be one pathway. Depending on co-existing challenges and which district the person lives in can make a difference on if a referral is accepted.

If the public system is not an option there can be private providers who can assess. As dyspraxia/DCD is a movement disorder it does require an assessment of movement - most often by a suitably trained/experienced occupational therapist.

If it is unclear if dyspraxia/DCD is the underlying cause of the difficulties seen, or if there may be other neurodiversity in the mix, we usually recommend an assessment with an educational psychologist.

This gives the assessor a wide picture of where the strengths and weaknesses may lie.

This can help the child to understand how their brain works and for the adults involved to tailor things to best help them to achieve.

If coordination difficulties are apparent in the ed psych assessment we would also recommend seeing an occupational therapist.

It is a good idea to ask what assessment tools they use, what type of report they give, if they offer ongoing support/therapy (if that’s important to you) and if they make a diagnosis, or assess, with recommendations. That way you can compare like for like and it helps to decide if the cheapest option is really value for money.

With these reports schools are able to adjust the environment and curriculum.

Dyspraxia/DCD should be a diagnosis of exclusion – that is all other causes of the difficulties seen are excluded by a paediatrician. Not all paediatricians will diagnose dyspraxia/DCD but they can rule out any other conditions (e.g., cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, degenerative disorder) so it is a good idea to have this done. Again this can be a difficult and costly specialist to access.

For adult assessment and diagnosis it can be even harder to access. Our recommendations are the same in regards to educational psychologist and occupational therapists.

To find providers in your area please contact our team.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is often characterized as a skill acquisition deficit disorder. Below are the diagnostic criteria for DCD

DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Developmental Coordination Disorder

A. The acquisition and execution of coordinated motor skills is substantially below that expected given the individual’s chronological age and opportunity for skill learning and use. Difficulties are manifested as clumsiness (e.g., dropping or bumping into objects) as well as slowness and inaccuracy of performance of motor skills (e.g., catching an object, using scissors or cutlery, handwriting, riding a bike, or participating in sports).

B. The motor skills deficit in Criterion A significantly and persistently interferes with activities of daily living appropriate to chronological age (e.g., self-care and self-maintenance) and impacts academic/school productivity, prevocational and vocational activities, leisure, and play.

C. Onset of symptoms is in the early developmental period.

D. The motor skills deficits are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or visual impairment and are not attributable to a neurological condition affecting movement (e.g., cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, degenerative disorder).