It’s been a while since I wrote about an invisible disability or disorder that isn’t related to mental health, so I thought I’d do something about that with today’s article on dyspraxia. An often misunderstood and little-known condition that affects motor skills and coordination. A condition that is also known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD). I hope you find this article educational.
What Is Dyspraxia?
As I said in my opening for this article, dyspraxia affects the motor skills and coordination of those with the condition. This condition is considered to be a learning difficulty, so you’ll find it grouped with dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, and dysgraphia (Walker, Shaw, Price, Reed, and Anderson, 2018). This is because the difficulties this condition can cause can affect someone’s ability to learn.
For example, if a person with dyspraxia has difficulty holding a pen, then this will affect significant areas that aid in academia and education. Although, now that there are a lot of technological options to replace writing, this might be less of a problem if they’ve been diagnosed.
Like with any learning difficulty, or most conditions in general thinking about it, dyspraxia is a complex condition which will affect each person differently (Jackson, 1999). I know I’ve yet to meet someone with dyslexia who is affected in the same way I am.
As the title of this article suggests, there is a big difference between being clumsy and having dyspraxia. From an outside perspective, it might look like clumsiness, but it’s not. Clumsiness is normally related to something like sleep deprivation or distraction (Moawad, 2024). For example, walking into something because you weren’t looking where you were going, because you were talking to someone, would meet the definition of clumsiness.
Sarah Louise Kelly, writing for Huffington Post (Kelly, 2023), talked about growing up with dyspraxia. They tell us that as a child, they’d end the day covered in stains, their tights would always be ripped, and they disliked sports because of their motor skills and coordination difficulties.
The last thing I want to mention in this section is the prevalence rate. According to Walker, Shaw, Price, Reed, and Anderson (2018), between 6-10% of people in the UK and the US will have dyspraxia, which is a sizable number.
Symptoms Of Dyspraxia
The following is a list of the more common symptoms associated with dyspraxia, but it isn’t a complete list. It’s important to remember that the symptoms associated with this condition will vary with age and development, and of course, how soon they’re diagnosed (Walker, Shaw, Price, Reed, and Anderson, 2018).
Fine motor skills
Difficulty with fine motor skills like writing, drawing, and using utensils. For example, a child might have difficulty drawing or operating scissors (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).
Difficulty with gross motor
What I mean by gross motor skills are actions that require the use of our large muscles, such as our legs (Healthdirect Australia, 2024), affecting the person in activities like walking, running, and catching a ball.
Poor spatial awareness and coordination
Someone with this condition may struggle with planning and sequencing movements, given their difficulties with gross and fine motor skills. That’s not a surprise.
Social support networks
Children with this learning difficulty, especially if undiagnosed, may experience being left out of playing with other children, due to those children avoiding them and even bullying them for being “clumsy” (NHS, 2023). This is also supported by O’Dea, Stanley, Coote, and Robinson (2021), who found that children reported their difficulties led to negative consequences, such as bullying and exclusion.
As adults, this can mean there’s self-esteem issues, social awkwardness, or a lack of confidence (Pietrangelo, 2023).
Missing developmental milestones
Because children, or in this case, babies with this learning difficulty, can have difficulties with their fine and gross motor skills, it can result in hitting developmental milestones later, such as standing and walking, when compared to their peers (Patient, 2024).
Learning new skills
Learning new skills and remembering information can be something someone with this learning difficulty can find difficult to do (Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland, n.d.).
Poor posture
Having poor posture is also a potential sign of this condition (Newman, 2023).
Time blindness
According to Walker, Shaw, Price, Reed, and Anderson (2018), people with this learning difficulty may struggle with self-organisation, meaning they might not be able to accurately identify how long things will take, and they may have issues with being on time. AKA, time blindness.
Treatment
Unfortunately, there is no cure for dyspraxia, just like there’s no cure for my dyslexia. However, there are several interventions that can help manage symptoms and improve underdeveloped skills. Such interventions are occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, and, of course, educational support.
The latter I can’t stress enough. The educational support I got when doing my postgraduate degree made a huge difference. All my prior education I had no support, and during my GCSEs and A Levels, I really struggled as a result. I wish I’d been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, rather than late into my adulthood.
Summary
It’s important to remember that dyspraxia is not a reflection of intelligence or effort, as people with this condition are just as capable as anyone else. They just might need additional support to reach their full potential.
Even though this learning difficulty is a lifelong condition, that doesn’t mean things can’t improve with proper support and understanding, because people with this learning difficulty can live fulfilling and successful lives. Hence this article, so I can help spread awareness, acceptance, and understanding about this condition and its challenges, helping us to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone.
As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with dyspraxia in the comments section below. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, you can sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.
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References
Cleveland Clinic. (2024, May). Dyspraxia. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23963-dyspraxia-developmental-coordination-disorder-dcd.
Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland. (n.d.). Adults with Dyspraxia/DCD. Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland. Retrieved from https://www.dyspraxia.ie/Adults-with-Dyspraxia-DCD.
Healthdirect Australia. (2024, February). Dyspraxia. Healthdirect. Retrieved from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/dyspraxia.
Jackson, T. (1999). Dyspraxia: Guidelines for intervention. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62(7), 321-326. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Therese-Lebedis/publication/233553151_Dyspraxia_Guidelines_for_Intervention/links/565460de08ae4988a7b02aeb/Dyspraxia-Guidelines-for-Intervention.pdf.
Kelly, S. (2023, October). This is what dyspraxia is like as a woman in my thirties. HuffPost UK. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/this-is-what-dyspraxia–is-like-as-a-woman-in-my-thirties_uk_65280357e4b0102e696504a4.
Moawad, H. (2024, September). Why am I so clumsy? Verywell Health. Retrieved from https://www.verywellhealth.com/why-am-i-so-clumsy-8715063.
Newman, T. (2023, October). What is dyspraxia?. MedicalNewsToday. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151951.
NHS. (2023, July). Developmental co-ordination disorder (dyspraxia) in children. NHS. Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia.
O’Dea, Á., Stanley, M., Coote, S., & Robinson, K. (2021). Children and young people’s experiences of living with developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia: A systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative research. Plos one, 16(3), e0245738. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0245738.
Patient. (2024, September). Dyspraxia: Developmental co-ordination disorder. Retrieved from https://patient.info/childrens-health/dyspraxia-developmental-co-ordination-disorder.
Pietrangelo, A. (2023, May). What is dyspraxia?. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/dyspraxia.
Walker, E., Shaw, S. C., Price, J., Reed, M., & Anderson, J. (2018). Dyspraxia in clinical education: a review. The clinical teacher, 15(2), 98-103. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.12734.
The realities of living with dyspraxia. This post, inspiring for those with dyspraxia but also helpful for those who don’t understand it. Understanding that being clumsy isn’t just about occasional stumbles—it’s a completely different experience when it’s part of daily life.
I was surprised at just how much Dyspraxia can affect someone’s life. Thanks for commenting
Thanks for sharing the details on how Dyspraxia can impacts anyone’s life and who can help to deal with this situation.
Thanks for commenting
Wow this was a fascinating read. I had not heard about this before I really learned alot here understanding how it affects people. Thanks very much for sharing.
Thanks for commenting