Effects of CO-OP Approach on Activity and Participation of Brazilian Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder
Condition: Motor Skills Disorders; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders
MeSH terms: Mental Disorders; Problem Behavior; Motor Skills Disorders; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the Cognitive Orientation to daily
      daily Occupational Performance Approach (CO-OP Approach) on activity and participation in
      school-aged children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
    

Detailed description: 
      Children with difficulty performing activities that reflect negatively on participation can
      meet the criteria for Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), which might impact their
      lives, leading to social isolation, depression and anxiety. Several studies have examined the
      effectiveness of different intervention approaches, including process-oriented approaches
      that focus on enhancing body functions and structures to improve performance on functional
      tasks. Although pediatric occupational therapists have traditionally used such approaches,
      evidence strongly suggests effectiveness for task-oriented interventions that focus on the
      performance of tasks that the child finds difficult to do. Among these, CO-OP Approach showed
      strong treatment effects. In CO-OP Approach, therapists use mediational techniques to teach
      cognitive strategies to improve occupational performance in goals chosen by the children.
      There is a need to examine systematic intervention alternatives for Brazilian children with
      DCD, and only one study examined occupational therapy intervention strategies for children
      with DCD.

      The main purpose of the study is to examine the effects of two intervention models based on
      CO-OP Approach. The investigators will examine if a boosting on parent's engagement in CO-OP
      can improve skill acquisition, generalization and transfer in children with DCD. A pre-post
      design will be used and two groups will be included in this study (1) one receiving standard
      CO-OP Approach, (2) one receiving standard CO-OP Approach and an addition of coaching
      sessions in groups for parents. Follow-up data will be collected 3 months later.
    

Intervention name(s): standard CO-OP Approach; standard CO-OP Approach plus coaching parents
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The CO-OP protocol originally developed by Mandich and Polatajko (2004) comprises 12 sessions. The therapist teaches the participants a global cognitive strategy: GOAL - PLAN - DO - CHECK. The participants use the global strategy and cooperate to learn specific strategies to solve each task performance breakdown identified through Dynamic Performance Analyses (DPA). The therapist uses DPA at pre-intervention and throughout the sessions and mediational techniques to guide participants to use GOAL-PLAN-DO-CHECK to discover specific strategies to solve performance problems and to support generalization and transfer of skills.; CO-OP Approach with parents coaching groups will include an addition of four extra coaching groups sessions for parents to provide additional information to supplement their knowledge on CO-OP (how to use GOAL-PLAN-DO-CHECK at home; how to use dynamic performance analysis to support their children's' performance solutions; to talk about their experiences with their children at home).
Other intervention name(s): CO-OP Approach; CO-OP Approach boosted
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment