Dyspraxia (developmental coordination disorder)

Expert review by:

Dr Daksha Hirani, Clinical Psychologist

Content review by:

Rachael Mayfield-Blake, Freelance Health Editor

Page last reviewed: 31 July 2024
Next review date: July 2027

Dyspraxia, also known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), is a common condition. It affects the way your brain communicates with your body to coordinate your movements. You start to notice the symptoms of dyspraxia as a child, when it can make you appear clumsy. This is something that may continue to affect you as an adult. It can impact your daily life and development, and it will affect you for life.

Living with dyspraxia can be difficult. But getting support can help you to manage any difficulties you have.

About dyspraxia

Dyspraxia affects your movement and co-ordination. Co-ordinated movements are complex and involve a network of different nerves, which carry messages between your body and brain. If you have dyspraxia, the messages between your mind and body aren't transmitted accurately. This may lead to difficulties, such as poor balance and coordination, and appearing clumsy.

Dyspraxia isn’t considered a learning disability, but the problems it can cause may affect learning life skills in education and employment. Dyspraxia affects people in different ways. The types of problem it can cause may change over time, depending on your environment, responsibilities, and the daily challenges life presents. Your parents or teachers may notice you have dyspraxia when you’re a child, but some people may not recognise they have the condition until they’re adults.

Conditions associated with dyspraxia

Many people with dyspraxia also have other health conditions and difficulties. These include:

dyslexia
ADHD
anxiety

Causes of dyspraxia

No one knows exactly what causes dyspraxia. But some things can increase your risk of developing it. You may be at a higher risk if you were:

born prematurely
exposed to alcohol and drugs as a baby while developing in the womb
were a low birth weight when you were born

Dyspraxia may have a genetic link – it can run in families. And it’s four times more common in boys.

Sometimes you can get dyspraxia after having a stroke or head injury. This is called acquired dyspraxia.

Signs of dyspraxia

The signs and severity of dyspraxia can vary a lot between people. And the way dyspraxia affects you can change as you get older. Some of the main signs of dyspraxia are listed below for children and for adults.

Signs and symptoms of dyspraxia in children include difficulties doing certain activities and reaching achievements in life, such as:

climbing stairs
running, hopping, and jumping
self-care – for example, getting dressed
using cutlery
writing and drawing
gripping small objects, such as pencils and pens
riding a bike
developing language skills – they may have difficulties with speech or there may be long pauses before a child responds to a question or comment
following instructions – for example, from a teacher at school
playing sports, especially ball sports like tennis or squash
poor spatial awareness, which leads to trips, bumps, and bruises

These can all affect a child’s education and activities outside school. Emotional and behavioural problems can add to this.

In adults, many of these difficulties will continue, as well as difficulties with:

planning things and organising yourself
learning new skills at home or work
education – such as challenges planning and writing assignments or reports
confidence socialising with other people
multitasking
walking, which may lead to falls
your memory

If you’re an adult with dyspraxia, you may find it difficult to drive a car, cook, or do DIY, for example.

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Diagnosis of dyspraxia

If you notice any problems with your child’s development or teachers report they’re having difficulties at school, go and see your GP. Or if you’re an adult concerned about the symptoms listed in our section on signs of dyspraxia, see your GP. It can help to keep a diary of your concerns so you can describe how dyspraxia affects your life.

Your GP will ask about your symptoms and medical history. They may refer you to specialist health professionals to help assess you or your child. This team may include:

a paediatrician
an occupational therapist
a physiotherapist
speech and language therapists

Members of the team will ask questions to make a diagnosis. And they’ll ask you to do some everyday tasks (or watch your child play) to see how you (or your child) move and coordinate your body.

While there are assessments, there isn’t a definitive test for dyspraxia, and you may need to have other tests to rule out other health conditions. These include autism, cerebral palsy, or a stroke, and checks on your eyesight and hearing, for example. Your GP may also check that your symptoms aren’t caused by side-effects of medicines.

Once other conditions are ruled out, you’ll have what’s called a needs-based assessment to find the right tailored support that will work for you.

Support for dyspraxia

There isn’t a cure for dyspraxia – it’s something that you have for life, but it may ease over time. There are ways to manage the challenges that come with dyspraxia. People with dyspraxia have their individual strengths, difficulties, and needs just like anyone else. What works best for you or your child will depend on how you’re affected by dyspraxia.

It’s important to get a dyspraxia diagnosis early so you can get the right support for your physical, learning, social, and emotional needs.

Support for children with dyspraxia

Once your child has a dyspraxia diagnosis, they can receive some extra help to meet their specific needs. This help may involve a variety of specialists, as well as you as a parent. Both your GP and school can help you to access this help.

Support for children with dyspraxia may include the following.

Occupational therapy

This will help your child to do the things they want and have to do, whether that’s overcoming challenges learning at school, playing sport, or even doing the dishes. Occupational therapy will focus on your child’s wellbeing and ability to take part in activities.

Exercise programmes

These will help your child’s physical and mental health. Some people claim exercise may even help children to coordinate their movements better, but there’s no evidence to prove this. Choose a programme that suits your child and they’re likely to enjoy it.

Speech therapy

This will help your child to develop language skills, which are often challenging if you have dyspraxia.

Psychological therapy

This can help with mental health issues that are often present alongside dyspraxia – for example, anxiety and social phobia.

Support at school

Teachers can help your child at school by teaching them ways to do things they find difficult. This can may include breaking down difficult movements into smaller parts and practising them regularly. Your child may need extra help to keep up at school – for example, tutoring and extra time to complete tasks. And they may need practical help depending on their needs.

For example, your child may need pencil grips that make a pencil easier to grasp or a voice-responsive computer if they have difficulty writing. Another helpful intervention is getting extra time to complete tests and exams.

Other ways to get support

Connect with local or national organisations that specialise in dyspraxia. These organisations may offer practical help and advice about how to manage dyspraxia while in education. And they offer support for families with dyspraxia, including the opportunity to meet other people with similar experiences.

There are also organisations that can give advice on benefits, rights, and entitlements. Ask your GP for advice.

Support for adults with dyspraxia

As an adult with dyspraxia, you may be offered all the above, including occupational therapy to help you at work. Your employer may offer a workplace assessment to give you extra support. You’re protected by UK law if you have dyspraxia, and your employer has to consider making reasonable adjustments for you to do your job.

You may need to give your employer some information to help them understand your needs and how they can help you. The Access to Work at JobCentrePlus can also provide an assessment and support, and they can work with your employers.

Adjustments you might consider at work include things like the equipment you use, and having more flexible start times. You could also ask for tasks to broken down into sections or communicated to you in writing in case you forget verbal instructions. It could also help if you have a quiet place to work, without any social distractions.

Living with dyspraxia

Having dyspraxia can make home, school, and work life difficult. But there are useful strategies that can help you or your child to deal with these challenges and live a fulfilling life.

Here are some ideas to help overcome the daily life challenges that come with dyspraxia.

Lay out clothing in advance in the order you put it on, with underwear on top.
Wear loose tops rather than tightly fitted ones, and trousers or skirts with an elasticated waist. This means you don’t have to worry about buttons and zips.
Make sure your shoes fit well and give good stability – heels aren’t a good option but if you want to wear them, practise first. Slip-on or Velcro strap shoes are a good option so you don't have to worry about fiddly buckles.
When you eat, put a damp towel under your plate to stop it moving.
Use a flexible straw with drinks to prevent spillages – and don’t fill cups to the brim.
Keep to a daily routine.
Make lists to keep organised, stick notes on doors or put reminders in your phone – there are also apps designed to help. Plan the next day before you go to sleep and write out the things you want to achieve. This can help you to organise and plan your day as well as reduce anxiety.
Keep your keys on a long chain that you can attach to your clothes.
Use an electric toothbrush.
Label cupboards and drawers so it’s easier to find things and put them away.
Store things in clear containers.

The signs of dyspraxia can vary between people, and at different stages of life. In children, dyspraxia can cause difficulties with climbing stairs or running, hopping, and jumping. It can also be challenging for children to develop language skills or follow instructions. Adults can struggle with memory, and with organising and planning things. This can affect your performance at work. And you may find it difficult to drive a car, cook, or do DIY.

For more information, see our section on signs of dyspraxia.

People with dyspraxia struggle with various things in life. Dyspraxia can make it hard for them to do activities that others take for granted. This includes everything from coordinating body movements to organising and planning, which can affect children in education and adults in the workplace. People with dyspraxia may find it difficult to manage their money too.

For more information, see our section on signs of dyspraxia.

There is one main type of dyspraxia. It’s a common condition that affects the way your brain communicates with your body to coordinate your movements. No one knows exactly what causes dyspraxia. But some things can increase your risk of developing it – for example, being born prematurely or having a low birth weight. Sometimes, you can get dyspraxia after having a stroke or head injury. This is called acquired dyspraxia.

For more information, see our sections about dyspraxia and causes of dyspraxia.

While we don’t yet know exactly what causes dyspraxia, it’s thought to run in families. Other things that may increase your risk of developing dyspraxia include being exposed to alcohol and drugs while developing in the womb. Sometimes you don’t ever find a cause for dyspraxia.

For more information, see our section on causes of dyspraxia.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is similar in some ways to dyspraxia. And many people with dyspraxia also have ADHD . But ADHD affects your ability to sustain your attention or impulsivity, while dyspraxia is primarily a condition that affects movement and coordination.

It’s possible that dyspraxia may get better with age – there isn’t a cure for dyspraxia but it may ease over time. The way dyspraxia affects people varies, and the problems it causes may change over time. This depends on your environment, responsibilities, and the daily challenges life presents. Some people find ways to better manage the challenges that come with dyspraxia.

More on this topic

Other helpful websites

Dyspraxia Foundation

Discover other helpful health information websites.

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