Cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance (co-op) with children with developmental coordination disorder

Abstract

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have motor problems that lead to difficulties to perform every day tasks. Many approaches are used to treat these children. The aim of this study is to explore the use of the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) with Brazilian children with DCD. Three children ages 9 to 10 years old with motor coordination problems that interfered in occupational performance at home and school participated in the study. They were assessed using the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire – Brazil (DCDQ-Brazil), the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC), the Perceived Efficacy and Goal Setting System (PEGS) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM); the Performance Quality Rating Scale (PQRS) was also used. The CO-OP’s protocol was adapted. The intervention lasted 13 sessions, twice a week, and the children learned three tasks of their choice. The results indicate that CO-OP can be an effective approach, because it contributed to improvement in occupational performance on five of six of the chosen tasks.