Characteristics of sensory processing changes in children with developmental coordination disorder: A systematic review

Background: Sensory processing difficulties are common in neurodevelopment conditions, such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and can significantly impact daily living activities. Aims: To systematically review the literature to (1) synthesize the characteristics (sections and patterns) of sensory processing alterations in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), (2) compare these characteristics with those of children with typical development or associated comorbidities, and (3) identify which characteristics may be present from early childhood. Methods: This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and was submitted and registered in PROSPERO. The literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopul, SciELO, LILACS, ERIC, and EMBASE databases. Original studies that evaluated the sensory processing of children with DCD aged 3-12 years using standardized instruments were included. Results: A total of 2609 studies were retrieved from databases. Of these, five studies that identified sensory processing alterations in children with DCD were included. The most affected sensory characteristics were touch and balance and motion sections, and the avoider pattern, which may present behaviors observed in early childhood. The methodological quality of studies ranged from moderate to high, whereas effect sizes ranged from small to moderate. Conclusions: This systematic review identified that children with DCD or probable DCD presented sensory processing alterations. Further studies with high methodological quality are needed to recommend the sensory processing characteristics impacting the early identification of DCD.