Student Education News

Physical education for all children in mainstream schools

Dr Utley has carried out research over a number of years to increase understanding of the issues faced by children with varying types of movement and co-ordination difficulties.

Dr Utley has carried out research over a number of years to increase understanding of the issues faced by children with varying types of movement and co-ordination difficulties. This work has led to impact in two areas:

• Firstly, the research has led collaborations with clinicians, teachers and health care professionals, culminating in the clinical definition of one type of movement disorder –"Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)" and the publication of a definitive statement for the disorder. This statement defines the features exhibited by patients with DCD, and has been adopted by national and international bodies in medicine and education. This has also led to the definition of the scale of the problem (5-10% of children), the economic and social cost of the disorder, improvements in the early diagnosis of patients, the development of effective treatment programs for patients, and the development of personalised treatment strategies for individual patients.
• Secondly, the research has developed understanding of pedagogical practice in teaching physical education with an emphasis on the inclusion of children with movement difficulties into mainstream education. This work involved analysing the planning, organisation, and delivery of physical education with the aim of identifying and promoting good practice. In addition detailed empirical data was gathered on a sub- group of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and Development Coordination Disorder (DCD). The findings of the research have influenced education policy in a number of countries. Leading on from this research, Dr Utley co-ordinated and delivered a range of national and international training programmes which provided training for teaching professionals working with children with movement difficulties and more specific training on working with children with cerebral palsy and developmental coordination disorder.

The DCD Consensus Statement and the policy changes and enhanced educational practices are still in use to date, providing benefits to a large number of children and their families, and to education and healthcare professionals.

2nd November 2012