The aim of this paper is to discuss if criteria used for diagnosing children for clinical purposes should be the same as for the selection of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder for research. Next, we give an overview of the criteria mentioned in the development of the European guideline for diagnosing Developmental Coordination Disorder and the implementation of this guideline in different countries. To gain insight into current clinical practice, we also reviewed the medical files of children attending rehabilitation centers for the criteria used to diagnose Developmental Coordination Disorder in the Netherlands. To conclude, we state our expert opinion on why and when research and clinical criteria for Developmental Coordination Disorder should or should not be the same.
Keywords: Cutoff criteria; Motor development; Motor problems; Motor proficiency; Motor skill; Research criteria.