The Adolescent with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder

by Amanda Kirby

Adolescence is hard for most of us, but for an individual with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD) it can be twice as hard. Amanda Kirby, Medical Director of the Dyscovery Centre and the mother of a DCD child herself, addresses the main difficulties encountered by adolescents with DCD, including building relationships and coping with secondary school. With a common sense approach she provides a series of practical ideas on how individuals can tackle these difficulties, making The Adolescent with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder an essential resource for adolescents with DCD, as well as parents, teachers and health professionals.

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2003

Reviews

[Gary Holtzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good resource for parents and teachers of teens with DCD with lots of useful tips. Understandably, though, considering it was published twenty years ago, a lot of it out of date, especially where technology is concerned. It was written before smartphones or social media, which are such key aspects of teens' lives today. Unfortunately, the literature on this topic if virtually non-existent, so until somebody writes a more up to date take on it, this outdated book will have to suffice along with the resources that can be found online.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start with I must confess myself entirely enthralled with this book. From personal care to transition into secondary or college level studies, to transition out of the home, it gives advice for caregivers and teachers alike. The beginning gives a nice background on DCD, DSM-IV and ICD-10, prevalence in society, and symptomatic concerns in adolescents. These young adults need a unique level of support and guidance that is similar but different from their neuro-typical peers. It isn’t enough to say that teens are awkward. But here we have a group of teens that are already physically challenged being presented with all the additional teen-age issues - while often being 2-3 years socially and emotionally less developed. Keeping oneself clean, presentable, organized for school and looking cool is hard for the average teen. Dr. Kirby brings her own experience of raising a child with DCD to bear by describing all the various personal, school, family, social and emotional issues in a series of chapters. Each chapter is then discussed with suggestions for simplifying the path forward and suggesting methods that will present the family and teen strategies for success in bullet point form. Each section has a short story Case Study where a teen’s dilemma is discussed and thoughtful questions, or outcomes, are included. There is no lack of detail (lockers and checklists are included) while maintaining a broad view that never bogs down the readability.

I have many tape flags in its margins. I highly recommend it.