Don’t Confuse Clumsiness and Dyspraxia!

Affecting 3% to 6% of children, dyspraxia is a learning disorder that disrupts their movements, both in daily life and in school activities: struggling to coordinate their movements, these children have trouble managing both time and the space around them. Clumsy movements or a motor disorder, how do you tell simple clumsiness apart from this developmental issue?

Clumsiness in everyday small movements

Clumsiness shows up very differently from one child to another: they may drop objects they pick up, bump into things while moving around or miss steps, struggle to tie their shoelaces or button up a jumper, and so on.

These difficulties reflect poor bodily coordination. Traditionally, when a child has trouble developing fine motor skills and coordination, it’s because they weren’t stimulated enough in their early years, much like a child kept too long in a pushchair who will struggle to learn to walk. Note that over-stimulation can also cause children to skip stages in motor development, which can likewise lead to this kind of clumsiness.

In these cases, it’s best not to point out these difficulties (especially in public), but rather to offer activities to work on walking and/or fine motor skills.

When clumsiness shows up at school…

When a child’s clumsiness extends beyond daily life and repeats itself in other areas, it’s worth staying alert to certain signs that might point to dyspraxia. Even though symptoms vary widely from one child to another, some are typical of this learning disorder:

• The child doesn’t like construction toys, preferring imaginative play instead;
• Drawing and other graphic activities are difficult, they can’t draw a triangle and their drawings are poor and badly structured;
• Handwriting is slow and clumsy, with badly formed letters and exercise books that look messy and untidy;
• The child struggles to handle objects (keys, scissors, a compass…) and to take part in hobbies that require coordination (playing marbles, playing a musical instrument, riding a bike…).

Dyspraxia, the hidden disability of “clumsy” children

Traditionally, a 5-year-old can copy a triangle, write out their first name, get dressed alone and use a knife. By 6, they can write their first name in cursive, copy a diamond shape, brush their own hair, blow their nose, spread butter on bread… By 12, their dexterity matches that of an adult.

If you suspect your child’s clumsiness goes beyond what’s typical, don’t hesitate to share your concerns with a doctor or paediatrician, who will refer you to a specialist, whether that’s a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist, or a psychomotor therapist.

With an early diagnosis of dyspraxia, your child can benefit from appropriate rehabilitation that offers solutions to help ease some of their difficulties. For the most severe cases, they may be able to access accommodations to help them have a calmer school experience.