Islington Community Paediatrics: Pathway for children referred for assessment of developmental coordination disorder (DCD)
Who is this care pathway for?
Who do we see?
How to use this tool
- Who we see?
- Who can refer and how?
- Care Pathway: gives a flow-diagram type overview of the pathway
- Detailed actions: sets out in more detail what is involved in the different parts of pathway
- Associated documents: more for use by professionals
- Resources: these are links to relevant web sites
- Quality standards: this is a list of the quality standards that we report on annually on this web site and these are designated by QS where they appear in the text
Who can refer and how?
Care Pathway
Detailed Actions to be Completed
| Referral for DCD Assessment |
Please note that in our service:
Children referred for a DCD assessment will be seen in the first instance by OT. Any referrals received in Community Paediatrics requesting a DCD assessment will be forwarded to our OT service as the key first step in this assessment pathway.
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OT Assessment
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Your child will need to be seen and assessed by an OT in the first instance. The OT will take a history and examination, take into account your and your child’s teacher’s views and undertake a number of assessment tests of your child that typically include:
They will also ask for:
Having gathered all this information and if your OT thinks that a diagnosis of DCD is possible, they will discuss your child with the Community Paediatrician |
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Assessment Appointments
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It may take several appointments to complete the diagnostic assessment and to get all the results and questionnaires back (e.g. parent and teacher Conner's questionnaires). For most children there will also be a school observation and discussion with school staff to get a first-hand description of the child or young person’s profile of strengths and difficulties. |
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DCD Clinic
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Your child will be seen by a developmental paediatrician who will take a medical and developmental history, and do a physical examination of your child with a focus on their neurological examination Towards the end of appointment the OT will join the paediatrician and together they will discuss your child’s history, the findings of the examination and all the assessments undertaken and information gathered by the OT – it is at this point that the diagnostic criteria is reviewed to see if you child does warrant a diagnosis of DCD or not. If so then you will be given the diagnosis on the day with both your paediatrician and OT present in the same room The paediatrician and OT will write a joint report which is circulated to an agreed list of professionals as well as yourself. We aim to get this completed and with you within 2 weeks of the clinic (QS-1) If the diagnosis is confirmed we will give you written information about DCD also on the day |
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Post Diagnosis OT Input
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Your OT will set out their recommendations depending on your child’s functioning. If not already completed, you child will be offered either group therapy sessions or a block of 1 to 1 sessions. Any review period will be agreed. |
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Paediatric Follow up
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Generally most children will be discharged form this clinic as the management rests with your OT. Where there are other identified problems or more complex concerns about your child’s development, or if there is diagnostic uncertainty, then there is always the option for follow up with the paediatrician in one of general paediatric clinics. |
Associated Documents
Resources Table
| Useful links | |
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This is an NHS site setting out information on DCD, its assessment and diagnostic criteria.
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Quality Standards Table
| QS-1 |
We will send out our clinic letters within 2 weeks of the appointment
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| QS-2 |
We welcome, actively seek and act on feedback from all who use our services
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