Participation of Boys With Developmental Coordination Disorder in Gymnastics

Gymnastics has been identified as an accessible occupation for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The goal of this qualitative study was to classify the features that make it accessible to children with DCD. Three boys with DCD, their parents and two coaches participated. The first author also acted as a coach. Data collection included videotaping each session, field notes, and interviews. The findings show that gymnastics has an individualised, graded approach to skill attainment that enables successful progression for gymnasts with wide ranging abilities. Successful participation was facilitated by aspects of the specific club, and the particular gymnastics group.