Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), more commonly known as Dyspraxia in the UK, is a lifelong neurological condition affecting motor coordination skills. This includes movement, perception of sensory information, and body awareness. Its presentation can change over time depending on the environment, experiences, and available support.
Difficulties are most commonly observed in motor coordination, planning, organisation (including time management), and physical movements. Clumsiness is often noticeable, such as bumping into objects, dropping things, or struggling to reach developmental milestones like sitting, crawling, and walking.
In school, challenges may appear in PE, including difficulties with throwing, catching, skipping, and hopping, as well as general classroom tasks like cutting, colouring, writing, and accurately using tools such as rulers. Sometimes people have difficulties with forming speech sounds (known as Verbal Dyspraxia or Apraxia of Speech.
With recognition and appropriate support, individuals with DCD can achieve great success—even mastering instruments that require complex finger movements.
Although DCD can be diagnosed as a standalone condition, it often co-occurs with other neurodevelopmental disorders—particularly autism and ADHD, but also hypermobility, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and Tourette Syndrome.
What We Offer
- Awareness training and support for staff, parents, and students to help manage the impact of DCD and develop skills that minimise its effects.
- Written information to support referrals to identify this and co-occurring conditions.
- Standardised Assesssment of fine and gross motor skills to inform onward referral
- Standardised assessment of speed of writing
Definition of Developmental Coordination Disorder
Following the UK consensus meetings that took place in 2011 and 2012, there was common agreement on using the following text to describe DCD/Dyspraxia in children and adults:
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also known as Dyspraxia in the UK, is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults. This condition is formally recognised by international organisations including the World Health Organisation. DCD is distinct from other motor disorders such as cerebral palsy and stroke. Individual’s intellectual ability is in line with the general population. Individuals may vary in how their difficulties present; these may change over time depending on environmental demands and life experience, and will persist into adulthood.
An individual’s coordination difficulties may affect participation and functioning of everyday life skills in education, work and employment. Children may present with difficulties with self-care, writing, typing, riding a bike, play as well as other educational and recreational activities. In adulthood many of these difficulties will continue, as well as learning new skills at home, in education and work, such as driving a car and DIY. There may be a range of co-occurring difficulties which can also have serious negative impacts on daily life. These include social emotional difficulties as well as problems with time management, planning and organisation and these may impact an adult’s education or employment experiences.
FOCUSS 