Reading and writing performance in 7-8 year old children with developmental coordination disorder identified at 5-6 years old

Twenty-nine children identified with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) at the age of 5-6 years old and 77 typically developing (TD) children were followed at the age of 7-to-8-years old to measure their reading and writing performances with The Chinese Reading Achievement Test (CRAT) and the Basic Reading and Writing Test Battery (BRWTB). The results showed no significant differences between groups on CRAT. However, the children with DCD scored significantly lower on the writing subtests of the BRWTB (copying a word and copying a short paragraph from a textbook) than TD children (13.0 ± 5.2 vs. 15.3 ± 5.3; 46.2 ± 22.6 vs. 50.1 ± 20.1). Children with DCD in Taiwan did not have poorer reading ability than TD children. However, they showed poorer writing ability. This finding likely reflects the unique characteristics of the Chinese writing system, and suggests that some of children’s developmental problems may be culturally and linguistically bound.