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Joshua’s parents now have knowledge about DCD and they have a better understanding of why he is having challenges. Joshua and his parents went to their family physician and he received a diagnosis of DCD.

His parents used stories to help Joshua understand why he has difficulties with some tasks, which helped him feel better about himself. Joshua’s parents also met with his teacher to discuss DCD and its impact on his school performance. Using CanChild’s M.A.T.C.H handouts, Joshua’s parents and teacher worked together to better match his abilities to the activities in class. Some examples are listed below.

• To avoid accidents, Joshua will wear pants with an elastic waistband
• Joshua will be dismissed first for recess and for lunch to ensure that he is ready at the same time as his peers
• Joshua will be provided with easy-to-open food containers
• For spelling tests, Joshua will either spell orally or use letter tiles
• In gym class, participation and cooperation will be the goal rather than competition
• To reduce the amount of printing, Joshua’s teacher will photocopy worksheets
• Joshua will begin to learn keyboarding at home