Dyspraxia or DCD is a condition that affects people’s movement and motor skills. It can make people more likely to trip, fall or bump into things, or it might affect fine motor skills such as typing or drawing.
It can also affect short term memory and planning and organisational skills.
Around 3-5% of adults in the UK are thought to have some kind of dyspraxia or DCD, with many people not diagnosed until adulthood.
Some people are born with it, for others it is acquired as a side effect to damage to the brain through stroke, head injury or another neurological condition.
Because of being slow at writing due to my dyspraxia, I learnt to touch type which is a strength as so much of life now involves computers.
Strengths and talents of people with dyspraxia
People with dyspraxia or DCD often have particular abilities in:
- Creativity and thinking differently with new ideas
- Determination
- Finding different ways to do things
- Being compassionate and empathetic
Other traits
People with dyspraxia or DCD may also find that they:
- Find it difficult to plan work to meet deadlines
- Work more slowly as a result of challenges with motor skills
- Struggle with some physical tasks or activities such as driving, hospital corners when making beds or writing.
Non-urgent advice: CUH staff tell us
- We’ve developed strategies to compensate for difficulties with planning and organisation so that we still meet deadlines and perform well in our roles.
- Wearing headphones or listening to music can help with concentration, particularly in environments that are busy and noisy.
- We often work harder or longer hours than our colleagues to ensure our work is of a high standard.
- We might do things differently to how others do them, but the outcome is the same.
- We often have really great ideas for how to improve things in our teams but don’t always feel listened to.