When reading Action Statement 4 of the 2026 DCD Clinical Practice Guideline, I thought of many scenarios commonly encountered in clinical practice.
We sometimes naturally write down:
- "Improve balance ability"
- "Increase motor coordination"
- "Strengthen core stability"
- "Practice ball skills"
These directions are all important. But returning to the child's daily life, what caregivers often want to know is:
- Does the child dare to play ball during recess?
- Can they keep up with classmates when walking up stairs in line?
- Do they constantly step back to the side during PE class?
- Can packing their backpack every morning go a bit more smoothly?
Functional goals are somewhat like connecting the practice in the therapy room back to the child's original life path.
Connecting Therapy Goals Back to Daily Scenarios
Similarly, for "balance ability," if what the child cares about most is PE class, it could be written as:
"Able to complete the designated distance with the team during the warm-up run in PE class, without needing to stop and wait extra during the process."
Similarly, for "practicing catching and throwing," if the child wants to join classmates' games, it can be closer to the scenario:
"Able to complete back-and-forth catching and throwing with peers 5 times during recess ball games, and willing to continue participating in the game."
Similarly, for "going up and down stairs," if the parent's concern is the daily commute to school, it can be written as:
"Able to hold the handrail with one hand on the school stairs, walk upstairs with the line, and maintain a safe pace and direction throughout the process."
Life-Centered Goals
The 2026 DCD guideline mentions that goal setting needs to be discussed together with the child and parents, and centered on the activities the child cares about and their participation priorities.
Returning to clinical reports, perhaps we can use fewer abstract ability words and more visible pictures from daily life:
- Where does the child get stuck?
- What do they want to participate in?
- Which part of the daily routine do parents most hope will become smoother?
- In which activity does the teacher most frequently see difficulties?
The closer the goals are written to daily life, the less likely the subsequent interventions will be scattered.
Practice can start in the therapy room, but ultimately, it must return to the activities the child encounters every day.
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References
- Sargent, B., Mueller, M., Iverson, E., Frazier, M., & Kaplan, S. L. (2026). Physical therapy management of children with developmental coordination disorder: A 2026 evidence-based clinical practice guideline from the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 38, 297–333.