A Comparison of the Prevalent Learning Difficulties in Albanian Children Aged 5-10 with and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder.

Mirjeta Cenaj, Keida Ushtelenca and Blerina Aliaj
Sports University of Tirana

Abstract

Academic performance and learning skills such as mathematical and reading skills, attention span, language-related difficulties are, among other things, related to child development stages and according to research accompany developmental coordination disorder (DCD) due to the effect of coordination on gross/fine motor skills and cognition. DCD might be accompanied and interrelated with difficulties in the cognitive skills, creating learning difficulties especially evident in school subjects such as math, language or overall literacy, thus affecting academic performance and learning outcomes. Moreover, DCD, besides school achievements and learning, affects every day and social life which require both gross and fine motor skills. The study, through a paper-based questionnaire addressed to parents/teachers, aims to: identify the percentage of children aged 5-9 with suspect DCD of both genders and compare this percentage to other research findings; identify the learning difficulties of each category i.e. average children and children suspected with DCD; compare these difficulties and see if there are and where specifically are the significant differences between average children and DCD suspect children. The processing of the collected data shows that both groups i.e. children suspect DCD and those without any indication of DCD encounter at some level, at different percentage, all the learning difficulties and tasks of each situation assessed by the parents/teachers/caregivers. Key words: learning difficulties, Albanian children, developmental coordination disorder

Presentation