What Is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia, formally known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects motor skill development and the planning and execution of movement. It is recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) of the American Psychiatric Association and affects approximately 5–6% of school-aged children. Boys are diagnosed approximately four times more frequently than other children, although this gap may be largely because of referral and identification bias rather than true differences in prevalence.
Dyspraxia is not a muscular condition—the muscles themselves are intact. Rather, it reflects a difficulty in the brain’s ability to plan, sequence, and automate movement. Dyspraxia also frequently affects speech and language, memory, attention, and sensory processing.
Signs of Dyspraxia
Early identification greatly improves outcomes. Signs can appear as early as preschool, though diagnosis typically occurs once formal reading instruction begins.
Physical Coordination:
Late to reach motor milestones; poor balance; bumping into objects; difficulty learning to ride a bike, skip, or catch a ball; falls frequently; poor spatial awareness in crowds.
Fine Motor Skills:
Difficulty with buttons, zips, and shoelaces well beyond expected age; messy, effortful handwriting; awkward use of cutlery; difficulty with scissors, drawing, and craft activities.
Organization and Planning
Difficulty following multi-step instructions; poor time management; frequently loses belongings; struggles to organize schoolwork and timetables; appears forgetful or chaotic.
Sensory Processing
Hypersensitivity to textures; discomfort in noisy or busy environments; poor proprioception; may seek intense physical sensation for self-regulation.
Social and Emotional
Difficulty reading social cues; fatigue at the end of the school day; frustration, emotional dysregulation, and low self-esteem; anxiety in physical education classes or practical lessons
What Causes Dyspraxia?
Neuroimaging research has identified differences in the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and parietal cortex in people with dyspraxia. Research suggests that the process of motor learning and automatization is disrupted, meaning that children with dyspraxia must consciously attend to movements that others perform automatically.
Dyspraxia has a genetic component and frequently co-occurs with ADHD (in approximately 50% of cases), dyslexia, autism spectrum conditions, and language disorders. Prematurity and low birth weight are associated risk factors.
How Is Dyspraxia Diagnosed?
Diagnosis of DCD/dyspraxia is made by a physician or neuropsychologist, in collaboration with an occupational therapist and/or physiotherapist. The diagnostic process typically includes gathering information about developmental milestones and family history; observing the child’s motor skills and performance of everyday tasks in various settings; and administering standardized assessments of motor skills, coordination, and sensory processing. The most widely used standardized tool is the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Movement ABC-2).
Parents seeking assessment should begin with their family doctor. If the public pathway has long wait times, private occupational therapy and neuropsychology clinics across Canada (such as those in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal) can conduct independent assessments.
What Can Parents Do to Help?
Dyspraxia affects so many areas of daily life that parental understanding and practical support at home is profoundly important.
Seeking an occupational therapy assessment is the cornerstone of dyspraxia support, addressing fine motor skills, sensory processing, self-care, and daily living strategies.
Be patient with self-care milestones: allow extra time for dressing and preparing for school and consider adaptive tools such as elastic shoelaces and clothes that fasten easily.
Break all instructions into small, sequential steps and give them one at a time; working memory difficulties mean multi-step verbal instructions are often lost.
Speak to your child’s school about physical education and request accommodations that include adapted activities, a supportive teacher, and a safe exit strategy.
Create routine and visual structure at home: visual timetables, checklists, and consistent routines significantly reduce the planning burden.
Acknowledge effort explicitly and often, as a child with dyspraxia is exerting enormous effort to navigate a world designed for neurotypical students.
Effective Approaches and Interventions
Occupational therapy is the primary intervention for dyspraxia, with the strongest evidence supporting task-oriented approaches. In school, accommodations including typing, extra time, quiet workspaces, and movement breaks can substantially reduce the functional impact of dyspraxia. Physical activities such as swimming, martial arts, yoga, and trampolining have been found to be particularly accessible and beneficial.