Aphantasia in Probable Developmental Coordination Disorder: Implications for Clinical and Educational Practice

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition, significantly affecting movement and coordination ability. Whilst prior work has shown that those with DCD face challenges in motor mental imagery, links between general mental visual imagery skills and movement ability have yet to be identified. We therefore tested the prevalence of aphantasia (i.e., a lack of mental imagery), and general mental imagery skills, in adults with probable DCD (pDCD) using the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ). We found 20% of pDCD participants reported comorbid aphantasia, in comparison to 2-6% found in the general population. Strikingly, 100% of pDCD participants meeting criteria for aphantasia had co-occurring developmental prosopagnosia and/or autism, suggesting a strong link between these conditions. Movement difficulties were associated with weaker mental imagery, both in the social and non-social domains. Despite this, single case analyses revealed dissociations between DCD symptoms and mental imagery abilities, i.e., some with pDCD can exhibit hyperphantasia, that is, exceptional mental imagery skills. Given the elevated prevalence of aphantasia in pDCD, and the utilisation of mental imagery related treatments to support this group, we highlight some essential considerations for professionals working with those with DCD in mental health, occupational therapy, and education.