City Research Online

Abstract

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also known as Dyspraxia, is a common neurodevelopmental condition associated with lifelong fine and / or gross motor challenges. Despite its prevalence, DCD remains under-researched and no stakeholder-led research priority-setting exercise has previously been undertaken. A James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) was conducted to identify and prioritise unanswered research questions for DCD in the UK. Individuals with living experience (N = 7), health and education professionals (N = 3) and academics (N = 3) formed a Steering Group. Uncertainties were collected via a national survey, processed and verified against existing evidence and refined into summary questions. An interim prioritisation survey informed a final consensus workshop to agree the Top 10 research priorities. A total of 308 participants contributed 920 uncertainties, resulting in 50 summary research questions across seven overarching themes which were ranked by 222 participants in the interim prioritisation survey. This resulted in 18 high-ranking questions for discussion at the final workshop with adults (N = 9), parents (N = 3) and practitioners (N = 5). Consensus was reached on a Top 10 list of research priorities, which emphasised emotional and social wellbeing, early diagnosis and intervention, non-motor challenges, education, adulthood and ageing, diagnostic pathways, cultural and ethnic influences and needs-based approaches to support. This study establishes the first stakeholder-driven research agenda for DCD. The identified priorities highlight the need for research that adopts a lifespan perspective, addresses psychosocial and non-motor challenges and reflects the living experiences of diverse DCD populations. Aligning future research with these priorities will improve the relevance, coherence and impact of the DCD evidence base.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Publisher Keywords:	Developmental Coordination Disorder; Dyspraxia; Research Priorities; James Lind Alliance
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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