Dyspraxia (DCD) Awareness Week: More Than Just “Clumsiness”
As Dyspraxia (DCD) Awareness Week begins - Monday 12-18 October 2026, it is an opportunity to shine a light on one of the most misunderstood and overlooked neurodevelopmental conditions.
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), more commonly known as dyspraxia, affects far more than movement and co-ordination. It influences how people plan, organise, process information, navigate environments, and manage daily life. Yet despite its impact, awareness remains significantly lower than for many other forms of neurodivergence.
For me, dyspraxia sits alongside ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. Together, these create a unique neurodivergent profile that shapes both my strengths and challenges. While each condition has its own characteristics, they frequently overlap, making it difficult to separate where one ends and another begins.
This Dyspraxia Awareness Week, I want to share why understanding dyspraxia matters, why it deserves greater recognition within the neurodiversity movement, and why so many of us live with multiple neurodivergent identities.
What Is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia, or Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects motor planning, co-ordination, and the ability to carry out physical tasks efficiently. It is recognised by the NHS as a lifelong condition that often begins in childhood and continues into adulthood. [nhs.uk]
While many people associate dyspraxia with being "clumsy," the reality is far more complex.
Dyspraxic individuals may experience difficulties with:
Balance and co-ordination
Fine motor skills such as handwriting or using tools
Gross motor skills such as sports or driving
Organisation and planning
Time management
Sequencing tasks
Spatial awareness
Working memory
Executive functioning
These difficulties can affect education, employment, relationships, and mental wellbeing.
Dyspraxia by the Numbers
One reason greater awareness is needed is that dyspraxia is far from rare.
Research suggests that DCD affects approximately 5% of children worldwide, making it one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions. [frontiersin.org], [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
In practical terms, this means there are likely to be one or two children with dyspraxia in every classroom. [mmu.ac.uk]
Despite this prevalence, awareness remains low among both professionals and the general public. Research has consistently highlighted under-recognition and under-diagnosis, particularly among adults and women. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov], [link.springer.com]
Many adults only discover they are dyspraxic after seeking assessment for another neurodevelopmental condition such as ADHD or autism.
The Hidden Overlap with Other Neurodivergent Conditions
One of the biggest misconceptions about neurodivergence is that conditions exist in isolation.
In reality, many neurodivergent people experience significant overlap between multiple conditions.
Dyspraxia frequently co-occurs with:
ADHD
Autism
Dyslexia
Dyscalculia
Tourette Syndrome
Language and communication differences
This overlap is sometimes known as co-occurrence, a co-existing condition or sometimes neurodivergent intersectionality.
For example:
Dyspraxia and ADHD
Both conditions can affect executive functioning, planning, organisation, and working memory.
While ADHD can make it difficult to maintain focus and regulate attention, dyspraxia can make it harder to sequence and execute tasks effectively. Together, these challenges can create a daily struggle with time management, task completion, and maintaining routines.
Dyspraxia and Autism
Many autistic people experience motor co-ordination differences. Difficulties with movement planning, sensory processing, social communication, and executive function can interact in complex ways.
For autistic individuals with dyspraxia, simple tasks that others take for granted can require significant mental effort and energy.
Dyspraxia and Dyslexia
As someone who is dyslexic as well, I know first-hand how these conditions can reinforce one another.
Dyslexia may affect reading, writing, spelling, and information processing. Dyspraxia can affect handwriting, organisation of written work, and sequencing information. Together, they can make educational environments particularly challenging without the right support.
My Experience as an AuDHD and Dyspraxic Adult
When people think of neurodivergence, they often look for individual labels but my reality is very different.
I am autistic and I have ADHD (often refered to as being AuDHD) and I am dyspraxic.
Each diagnosis explains part of the picture, but none explains the whole person - me!
My ADHD brain generates ideas at remarkable speed. My autistic mind seeks patterns, structure, and deep understanding. Dyslexia influences how I process language and information. Dyspraxia affects how I interact with the physical world and how much energy everyday tasks can require.
What looks effortless to others may involve an invisible amount of planning and adaptation.
I have learned to navigate challenges with organisation, movement, coordination, time management, and executive functioning. I have also learned that neurodivergent people often develop extraordinary resilience, creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills precisely because we spend our lives finding alternative routes through systems not designed for us.
Why Awareness Matters
Awareness is not about sympathy and it's about understanding.
When teachers understand dyspraxia, children receive appropriate support rather than criticism.
When employers understand dyspraxia, reasonable adjustments become possible.
When healthcare professionals understand dyspraxia, diagnoses happen sooner.
When society understands dyspraxia, people stop viewing challenges as laziness, carelessness, or lack of effort.
Most importantly, awareness helps individuals recognise that they are not broken.
They are neurodivergent.
A Week to Celebrate Strengths
This year's Dyspraxia Awareness Week is organised by Dyspraxia Magazine, which continues to amplify dyspraxic voices and lived experiences across the community. The programme includes webinars, discussions, research panels, workplace conversations, and opportunities for people to share their stories.
Awareness weeks are important, but real change happens when awareness becomes action.
Let us move beyond stereotypes about being "clumsy" and recognise dyspraxia for what it truly is: a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference that affects millions of people and often exists alongside other forms of neurodivergence.
As an AuDHD, dyslexic, and dyspraxic adult, I know that these differences can bring challenges. I also know they bring unique strengths, perspectives, and ways of thinking that enrich our communities.
This Dyspraxia Awareness Week, let's celebrate those differences, challenge misconceptions, and create a world where every neurodivergent person feels understood, valued, and supported.
Find out more about Dyspraxia Awareness Week and events taking place throughout the week:
