The December 2024 issue of the Journal of Motor Learning and Development (JMLD) includes a special section based on work that was presented at the 14th International Developmental Coordination Disorder Conference (DCD-14) that was held in Vancouver, Canada in July 2022. The theme of the conference was “DCD in the Real World” and focused on the daily life impact of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) across the lifespan. The articles published in JMLD are a companion to a special issue of Research in Developmental Disabilities, which includes 10 papers from the conference (https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/10W9MPKLX6N). Together they serve as proceedings of DCD-14.

The JMLD special section includes three papers addressing performance aspects of children with DCD (https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jmld/12/3/jmld.12.issue-3.xml). The papers come from DCD scholars in four different countries (Canada, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom), demonstrating not only the strong international presence at DCD-14 but, importantly, international collaborations among DCD scholars.

In Canada, the work of Guetiti et al. (2024) sought to expand our understanding of the postural control mechanisms of children and adolescents with DCD as they relate to balance. Noting the limitations in the existing literature on balance among individuals with DCD, they examined the impact of anticipatory postural adjustments before voluntary, unperturbed leaning tasks on postural control and limits of stability, and the contribution that proprioception makes.

Work in France by Martin et al. (2024) focused on examining the perceived clinical importance of procedural perceptual-motor learning in pediatric rehabilitation, especially among children with DCD. Having developed a tool to evaluate procedural perceptual-motor learning abilities, they conducted a cross-sectional online survey of psychomotor and occupational therapists to determine whether this tool is suitable for clinical practice and meet care needs.

In an international collaboration between United Kingdom and Italian scholars, Stuart et al. (2024) worked to extend the applicability of the Handwriting Legibility Scale in two ways. First, having created an Italian version of the instrument, they examined its performance with a group of Italian students aged 9–14 years. Second, they expanded the writing scripts of the instrument to be suitable for 15- to 16-year-olds and 17- to 25-year-olds.

Taken together, these three papers serve to increase our understanding of mechanisms and performance of individuals with DCD. Additionally, they serve to demonstrate the international interest in DCD and the potential for and of international work.

The organizers of DCD-14 would like to thank the authors who contributed to the Research in Developmental Disabilities special issue and JMLD special section as well as all those who presented at DCD-14 and participated in the exciting exchanges that prevailed the conference. The interest in, and passion for, increasing awareness and understanding of DCD were palpable at the conference, and it is the hope that the publication of these papers supports their continuation and the expansion of knowledge in the field.

Thank you to the editorial team for including these papers in JMLD and increasing the potential for international collaboration and learning from each other.