Efficacy of the CO-OP Approach With Brazilian Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Efficacy of the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach With Brazilian Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have difficulties performing daily activities which reflects negatively on participation, impacting their lives. To date, there are a number of interventions to improve performance of these children on activities they want or need to. In Brazil, there is little research on the efficacy of such approaches. Our main objective was to start a set of studies to examine the effects of the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance Approach (CO-OP Approach) protocol on occupational performance and satisfaction of Brazilian children who have DCD; to examine whether children were able to transfer strategies and skills learned during CO-OP to untrained goals.

Background. Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have difficulties performing daily activities which reflects negatively on participation, impacting their lives. Objectives. To examine the effects of the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance Approach (CO-OP Approach) protocol on occupational performance and satisfaction of Brazilian children who have DCD; to examine whether children were able to transfer strategies and skills learned during CO-OP to untrained goals. Methods. A pre-post group comparison design with eight boys aged 6-10 years old. Children participated in 12 CO-OP sessions with their parents twice a week, with an extra session added to the protocol for parents´ orientation. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and the Performance Quality Rating Scale were used as outcome measures.

One group was submitted to the CO-OP approach to learn cognitive strategies to perform the chosen tasks.

In CO-OP Approach, therapists use mediational techniques to teach cognitive strategies - GOAL, PLAN, DO, CHECK - to improve occupational performance in goals chosen by the children in collaboration with them and their parents.

Inclusion Criteria: poor motor performance measured by a motor performance test (cut off score below the 15th percentile). poor performance on academic and daily living activities measured by the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire answered by the parents. attending regular education with no evidence of marked school delay (over a year). cognitive development within the expected age range according to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III). Exclusion Criteria: signs of neurological or neuromuscular disorder. presence of intellectual disability.

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