Dyspraxia Awareness Week 2024

Written in Octoer 2024

It's the start of Dyspraxia Awareness Week 2024 today, running from the 7th to 13th of October. I am dyspraxic, and I'm using identity first language, since my co-ordination difficulties do impact many areas of my experience and interactions with the world around me.
 

I only realised I was dyspraxic 6 years ago when I was already pretty far into my journey learning about neurodivergence. Before I knew the right label I had always described myself as having “a physical learning disability”.
 

I still describe it like that because it's easy to understand. I can't pick up sequences of physical instructions like dance routines, or even work out how to get off an exercise bike without falling. I can't do movements that co-ordinate all four of my limbs no matter how much I try (the exception being driving, but with 24 years of practice there my motor memory pretty much does it for me). It took me a very long time to learn to ride a bike and it is still absolutely terrifying to me (so I don't).
 

I struggle to give directions and describe the physical environment well enough to direct someone to a place, and when it comes to following directions... forget it. I can't use satnav because I don't understand the instructions, and it can take a long time for me to create a mind map of a physical location like a building (although strangely my large scale navigation skills are pretty good).
 

I have scars in odd places from injuries sustained as a result of my dyspraxia – two small scars on the outside/underside of my forearm from dropping a mug, for example. I starting avoiding bouncy castles as a child because every time I went on one, I sprained my ankle. Moving all the parts of my body in the right direction at the right time takes effort, and I am still refining things like climbing stiles and gates.

Telling left from right is a particular bug bear of mine, because people always tell me to put my hands out with thumbs extended, so the left one forms an L shape. No. They both form an L shape, just one of them is mirrored. I see two L shapes when I do this. It took me until my late 30s to devise a system – thankfully I am right-handed, so I “write” with my “right”. I just have to do that little mantra in my head and twitch the correct hand, and I've got it – EUREKA!

As you can see, dyspraxia affects mainly my gross motor skills. My handwriting is pretty good, I can sew, knit (sort of) and I used to be a butcher, something that requires very good fine motor control and feedback from the hand to the brain. Some people with dyspraxia have both gross and fine motor difficulties, and some find it's mainly their fine motor skills that are impacted.

Proprioception, and to a certain extent, interoception, are the senses involved in dyspraxia. I've written about proprioception here and interoception here so have a read of those if you want a more in depth look at these senses and how they work (or in my case, don't work).

Early help from physiotherapists and occupational therapists can help establish and strengthen the neural pathways we need to lay down in order to have better control over our bodies. I have a friend with dyspraxia who can ride a motorbike and paddleboard – both things I absolutely cannot do – because he was diagnosed early in life and given support. My mum was very good at helping me develop fine motor skills at a young age, and my interest in crafts and creativity are, I am certain, responsible for my continued abilities in the fine motor skills.

I have found that time and life experience have improved my gross motor skills somewhat. In my thirties I became much better at throwing and catching accurately, and since starting yoga I have found it is much easier for me to discern left from right, and to move my body and limbs around obstacles more easily than before. It still takes a lot of cognitive effort to climb a stile, for example, but much of the fear has gone from that activity.

The schedule for Dyspraxia Awareness Week events can be found here, so make a diary note for the sessions that interest you. Recordings will be available after the events if you can't make those times. I'll be speaking on the Dyspraxia from a global perspective panel on Thursday evening, maybe see you there?

Image credit: Gordon Johnson via Pixabay