Dyspraxia
(Developmental Coordination Disorder) in Children and Adults
At The Key Clinic, we support children, teens, and adults with Dyspraxia (DCD) through personalised, drug-free programmes that target coordination, motor planning, and daily living skills, while addressing underlying neurodevelopmental and sensory factors, helping to improve confidence, independence, and everyday functioning.
FAQs
-
Dyspraxia (also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder/DCD) is a common disorder that affects movement and coordination, making you appear clumsy. It can affect tasks requiring balance, such as sports or learning to drive a car; fine motor skills and also executive brain functions, such as working memory.
Dyspraxia does not affect your intelligence.
-
Appearing clumsy
Bumping into things
Dropping things
Struggling with sports
Getting motion sickness
Becoming easily lost.
-
No, you do not need a diagnosis to participate in one of our therapies.
If you or your child has been receiving treatment, do not stop or suspend their treatment program without consulting their doctor. Our approach is intended to complement any medical treatment, rather than replace it.
-
At school, dyspraxia can result in bullying, as other children pick on a perceived weakness.
The balance mechanism does not function well in those with dyspraxia. (The technical term is the CVS or cerebellar vestibular system). It tells you what is up and down, the direction of speed and travel and where all your body parts are in space. It helps you map the world and track things with your eyes. When the CVS does not function well, everything is made more difficult.
This balance mechanism can be impacted by ‘immaturities’ in the nervous system (The Institute of Neurophysiological Psychology refers to this as ‘neurodevelopmental delay’). This can negatively impact spatial awareness and coordination.
-
Occupational Therapy and physiotherapy can help with gross and fine motor skills, such as handwriting and building core strength.
Underlying, retained primitive reflexes may also be impacting the internal balance mechanism, preventing it from working effectively.
This system is called the cerebellar vestibular system (CVS for short), and it functions to tell you where you are in space, where your limbs and body parts are in space, how quickly you are traveling, and in which direction. If it is not working, navigating life can be highly challenging.
It is possible to improve the CVS's functioning. Our NeuroMature exercise program and BrightBeatz Auditory programs were both designed to make life easier to navigate.
Signs of dyspraxia in children
Motor
-
Missing/delayed developmental milestones
Unusual body positions (postures) during their 1st year
Difficulty playing with toys that involve good coordination
Difficulty hopping, jumping, running, catching or kicking a ball. They often avoid joining in because of their lack of coordination and may find physical education difficult (potentially becoming less fit)
Difficulty walking up and down stairs
Appears awkward and clumsy as they may bump into objects, drop things and fall over a lot
Difficulty learning to eat with cutlery
Difficulty writing, drawing and using scissors
Problems getting dressed, doing up buttons and tying shoelaces
Organisation/Communicating
-
Difficulty following instructions
Hard to keeping still
Slow to pick up new skills
Difficulty making friends – they may avoid taking part in team games and may be bullied for being "different" or clumsy
Behaviour problems – often stemming from a child's frustration with their symptoms
Low self-esteem
Signs of dyspraxia in adults
Movement
-
Dyspraxia primarily affects coordinating large and small body movements. Physical signs of dyspraxia include the following:
Movements appear awkward and lack smoothness
It takes extra physical and mental effort to do movements that others manage easily
Poor spatial awareness means more trips, bumps and bruises
Difficulty learning the movements required to carry out new practical tasks
Difficulty transferring motor skills to new situations or activities
Speech and Language
-
Struggles to keep up with conversations; may have long, awkward pauses before responding
Severe speech difficulties, known as verbal dyspraxia or Childhood Apraxia of Speech, involve challenges in coordinating precise movements for clear speech
Executive Functioning
-
Someone with dyspraxia may find executive functioning difficult. Executive functioning refers to:
Working memory: The ability to hold and manipulate information in the short term.
Cognitive flexibility, also called flexible thinking, lets us adapt to change. It lets us switch between tasks.
Inhibitory control: This includes self-control and the ability to resist impulsive behaviours.
Executive functioning can be reduced when feeling tired or overwhelmed. This can be difficult for someone with dyspraxia.
Handwriting
-
Poor handwriting is common; may prefer typing on a keyboard
May produce lots of writing or neat writing, but not both simultaneously
Organisation and Planning
-
Difficulty organising themselves, their equipment, and their thoughts
Problems with attention, memory, and time management
Challenges with daily life due to organisational difficulties
Other Indicators
-
A history of physical awkwardness as a child, though they may have developed coping or avoidance strategies as an adult
Difficulty learning new motor skills or using them in new or busy environments
Difficulty handling tools and equipment, such as a tin opener
Poor balance and tires easily
Anxiety and avoidance of social situations where their difficulties might be noticed
Poor organisation and time management skills
Misses deadlines and is often late for appointments
Underachieves academically and in the workplace
Our Natural Therapy Options
-
The NeuroMature™ programme aims to give the body a ‘second chance to develop’.
We use individually tailored neurodevelopmental exercises designed by the INPP to inhibit retained primitive reflexes, helping improve eye tracking, balance, coordination, self-confidence, and emotional resilience.
-
The ears are used for hearing and balance. BrightBeatz™, our digitalised Auditory Integration Training, uses especially ‘modulated’ music to stimulate the ears and encourage more balanced listening.
Neurodevelopmental Movement - NeuroMature
The NeuroMature™ programme aims to give the body a ‘second chance to develop’. We use individually tailored neurodevelopmental exercises designed by the INPP to inhibit retained primitive reflexes, helping improve eye tracking, balance, coordination, self-confidence, and emotional resilience. The INPP has over 40 years of published research evidence supporting their efficacy. (ref. https://www.inpp.org.uk/publications)
Different programme options are available to suit different needs. You will be supported through a programme of neurodevelopmental exercises, which can either be done at home, or by our practitoners in clinic.
Once things are functioning as they should be, there is no need to repeat the programme.
If you or your child has been receiving treatment, do not stop or suspend their treatment program without consulting their doctor. Our approach is intended to complement any medical treatment, rather than replace it.
Auditory Integration Training - BrightBeatz
Testimonial, 15 year old Boy:
The areas of concern expressed by parents were as follows:
Highly dyspraxic
Being bullied
Struggled with sports and coordination
Following NeuroMature and BrightBeatz Programmes:
Balance and coordination improved
No longer bullied at school
No longer last’ in school races, but somewhere in the middle!
The ears are used for hearing and balance. BrightBeatz™, our digitalised Auditory Integration Training, uses especially ‘modulated’ music to stimulate the ears and encourage more balanced listening.
The programme takes place over 10 days (two 30-minute sessions a day, at home),
Some parents report seeing improvements in the weeks and months following the course.
The Key Clinic can help individuals with dyspraxia to thrive
✓
Dyspraxia does not need to make life difficult for you.
✓
It is possible to improve balance and coodination.
✓
Making navigating every aspect of life much easier.