School-based Motor Skill Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

The primary aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effects of school-based interventions on motor performance in children and adolescents with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Our secondary aim was to explore potential moderators of effects. We conducted a search of seven databases (PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscus, ERIC, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Google Scholar). The date was restricted from 1999 to 2025. Eligible studies included school-aged children or adolescents (5-19 years) with DCD or probable DCD (pDCD), were conducted in school settings, included motor skill training, and assessed motor performance. Only studies with a DCD/pDCD non-training control group were eligible for meta-analysis. Methodology, participant and study characteristics, motor performance outcomes and main results on motor performance were extracted. A total of 35 studies were included in the systematic review, with 18 studies (47 effect sizes) eligible for meta-analysis. We found a large effect on motor performance (Hedges' g=1.06, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.53). Intervention frequency and total intervention dose had a substantial moderating effect on motor performance, with training frequency of at least three times a week and total dose of at least 500 minutes yielding the largest effects. Both teacher- and external facilitator-led interventions were effective in improving motor performance, with teacher-led interventions showing larger effects. Our findings indicate positive effects of school-based motor skill interventions in children and adolescents with DCD/pDCD, with teacher delivered interventions appearing more effective than those delivered by external facilitators.