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. 2025 Mar 27;12(4):420.
doi: 10.3390/children12040420.

Association Between Developmental Coordination Disorder Traits, Autistic Traits, and Emotional/Behavioral Problems in Japanese Preschool Children

Sumika Fujisawa  1 , Aya Saito  2 , Masumi Sugawara  3 , Akio Nakai  4
Affiliations

Association Between Developmental Coordination Disorder Traits, Autistic Traits, and Emotional/Behavioral Problems in Japanese Preschool Children

Sumika Fujisawa et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Few studies have examined the association between developmental coordination disorder (DCD) traits and emotional/behavioral problems in preschool children, considering the influence of autistic traits. Furthermore, no consistent results have been obtained. The aim of this study was to investigate how DCD traits in preschool children are related to emotional/behavioral problems, controlling for the effects of autistic traits. Methods: A questionnaire survey was administered to 277 parents of children (154 boys, 73.0 ± 3.8 months) who underwent the school physical examination in Y city near Tokyo, Japan, from October to December 2021. The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire-Japanese version (DCDQ-J) was used to measure DCD traits, the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) was used to measure autistic traits, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to measure emotional/behavioral problems. In the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the SDQ was the dependent variable, with gender entered in Step 1, ASSQ in Step 2, and DCDQ in Step 3. Results: The results showed that autistic traits are associated with preschool children's emotional/behavioral problems, but even after controlling for autistic traits, higher DCD traits had a relationship with higher conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer problems and lower prosocial behavior of preschool children. Conclusions: This result indicates the need for the support of children with motor skill difficulties. Additionally, a focus on mitigating DCD traits not only improves motor skills but also prevents emotional/behavioral problems in preschool children.

Keywords: autistic traits; developmental coordination disorder; developmental coordination disorder questionnaire–Japanese version (DCDQ-J); emotional/behavioral problems; preschool children.

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Conflict of interest statement

We would like to disclose that our corresponding author, Akio Nakai, is serving as a Guest Editor of the Special Issue Current Updates and Future Perspectives of Developmental Coordination Disorders in Children: From Classroom to Lab and Back. We acknowledge this potential conflict of interest and assure you that it has been disclosed in accordance with the journal’s policies. The remaining authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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