Neuroimaging and Occupational Therapy: Bridging the Gap to Advance Rehabilitation in Developmental Coordination Disorder

ABSTRACT

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by poor motor skills that interfere with a child's ability to perform everyday activities. Little is known about the neural mechanisms that implicate DCD, making it difficult to understand why children with DCD struggle to learn motor skills and selecting the best intervention to optimize function. Neuroimaging studies that utilize magnetic resonance imaging techniques have the capacity to play a critical role in helping to guide clinicians to optimize functional outcomes of children with DCD using evidence-based rehabilitation interventions. The authors' goal is to describe how neuroimaging research can be applied to occupational therapy and rehabilitation sciences by highlighting projects that are at the forefront of the field and elucidate future directions.

Keywords:

• developmental coordination disorder
• magnetic resonance imaging
• occupational therapy
• rehabilitation

FUNDING

Meisan Brown-Lum is funded by the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Zwicker is funded by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program, Sunny Hill Foundation, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research.