Dyspraxia / DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder)

Dyspraxia — also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) — is a form of neurodivergence that affects how someone plans, coordinates, or carries out physical movement.

This might include:

• Difficulty with balance or posture
• Messy or slow handwriting
• Trouble using cutlery, tying shoelaces, or riding a bike
• Needing more time to process and respond to movement-based tasks
• Getting physically tired more quickly

For some people, dyspraxia also affects speech patterns or planning sequences of actions — like multi-step instructions or getting dressed.

Dyspraxia isn’t about being clumsy or careless. It’s not caused by poor teaching or laziness. It’s simply a different way the brain connects thinking with doing.

Because it often shows up in subtle or inconsistent ways, dyspraxia can be overlooked — especially in adults or those who’ve developed workarounds. But the effort behind everyday physical tasks is often very real.

Support might include:

• Occupational therapy or movement-based support
• Finding tools that reduce physical strain (e.g. pencil grips, elastic laces)
• Adapting environments to reduce overwhelm or pressure

Every person with dyspraxia will experience it differently — but with understanding and the right support, many find ways to move through the world that feel more natural and sustainable.

DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder) tends to be the clinical/diagnostic label.

• Many people — especially within the neurodivergent community — prefer to use Dyspraxia instead, because the term “disorder” can feel medicalised, pathologising, or inaccurate.
• The “disorder” language implies something is broken or needs fixing, which clashes with how many neurodivergent folks view their identity and experience — much like with ASD vs. Autism.

A few nuances:

• “Dyspraxia” isn’t always used consistently in medical settings (some places see it as outdated or too broad), but it’s widely used within the UK and by the neurodivergent community as a more respectful, identity-affirming term.
• Some people identify with both (“Dyspraxic with a DCD diagnosis”), while others actively reject the “DCD” label entirely, much like some autistic folks reject the “ASD” label.