CO-OP intervention for young children with developmental coordination disorder

Children with developmental coordination disorder experience difficulties with fine and gross motor tasks that affect their occupational performance. Research has found the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) measure to be an effective approach for improving skills in daily occupations with children between 7 and 12 years old who have developmental coordination disorder. The purpose of this single-case design study was to determine the effectiveness of using the CO-OP approach with children ages 5 to 7 years. Four children chose three different goals to work on during therapy. Child and parent Canadian Occupational Performance Measure ratings and performance observation ratings at follow-up demonstrated the effectiveness of the CO-OP approach, supporting the use of the CO-OP with younger children and suggesting further research on the CO-OP with younger children is warranted.