These 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). Some of the physical characteristics of a child with developmental coordination disorder include:
- Difficulty with gross motor and/or fine motor skills
- Delayed in developing certain motor skills (e.g., doing up buttoning, catching a ball)
- Has difficulty learning new motor tasks
- Difficulty coordinating both sides of the body (e.g., cutting with scissors)
- Difficulty with balance
- Difficulty with activities that require constant changes in his/her body position (e.g., jumping rope, baseball)
- Difficulty with handwriting or printing
Other terms used to describe developmental coordination disorder include childhood dyspraxia, specific developmental disorder of motor function, and clumsy child syndrome.