Yes, people with dyspraxia (also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder or DCD) can be forgetful, often struggling with poor working memory, planning, organization, and time management, leading to missed appointments, lost items, or forgotten tasks, though many have strong long-term memory. These memory and executive function challenges stem from the condition's neurological basis, affecting how information is processed and routines are managed.
People with dyspraxia often find it difficult to plan and prioritise work and meet deadlines. Their work area may be disorganised, and they can be prone to forgetting or losing things or missing appointments. Some people also have a tendency to get lost when travelling.
If you have dyspraxia it may affect:
Poor memory, especially short-term memory. Tendency to be unfocused and erratic. Poor sequencing, leading to problems with maths, reading, spelling, and writing reports at work. Accuracy issues.
However, many dyspraxics have excellent long-term memories, despite poor short-term memory. Many dyspraxic people benefit from working in a structured environment, as repeating the same routine minimises difficulty with time-management and allows them to commit procedures to long-term memory.
For the majority of those with the condition there is no known cause, however, current research suggests that it is the unresponsive or varied development of neurones in the brain, rather than brain damage, which form the foundations of dyspraxia.
Fact: There is no connection between dyspraxia and low IQ. Having dyspraxia does not mean a child isn't intelligent. However, the way children with dyspraxia behave might make them appear less capable than they are.
Problems with movement and co-ordination are the main symptoms of DCD. Children may have difficulty with: playground activities such as hopping, jumping, running, and catching or kicking a ball. They often avoid joining in because of their lack of co-ordination and may find physical education difficult.
5 Celebrities & Famous People With Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia impacts the way in which a person controls their muscles to execute movement. This means that people with Dyspraxia use more energy controlling their movements than most, meaning they fatigue easily and may need to rest more than others.
Though there are careers that utilise the assets of dyspraxia, such as empathy, and leadership, more than others. These jobs include teaching, coaching, leadership, creative arts and business development, amongst other things.
The challenges that come with dyspraxia should never overshadow the incredible strengths that individuals with the condition bring to the table. By embracing these superpowers—creativity, problem-solving, persistence, empathy, and adaptability—organisations can harness a new level of innovation and performance.
Dyspraxia can disrupt the visual information coming to the brain from the eyes, causing issues with visual processing. Because of this disruption, the brain sometimes has to be selective with the information it considers, causing certain things to be ignored or missed.
DCD is often confused with dyspraxia. Here's the thing, they are very similar and cause a lot of the same types of clumsiness and disorganisation. However, dyspraxia involves planning of tasks. A child with dyspraxia has difficulty to use toys and equipment in novel ways.
In general, a dyspraxia diagnosis should not prevent you from learning to drive. Sure, you'll have to accept that it will be harder for you to get to grips with the basics and the whole process could take longer than average, but it's not a solid roadblock.
Dyspraxia affects motor coordination, visual perception, spatial awareness, short-term working memory and organisation of tasks and thoughts. This means it can cause difficulties with organising study, prioritising tasks and formulating academic arguments, such as essays and reports.
Actress Jennifer Aniston has publicly shared that she was diagnosed with dyslexia in her 20s, a diagnosis that explained lifelong struggles with reading, writing, and retaining information, leading her to believe she wasn't smart until discovering the learning disorder. She discovered this during an eye exam, where she realized her eyes jumped words when reading, and the diagnosis helped her understand past difficulties, transforming her self-perception.
No, dyspraxia and autism are distinct neurological conditions, but they often overlap and co-occur, with many people having both; the main difference is that dyspraxia primarily affects motor coordination, while autism primarily impacts social communication, though both involve challenges in brain processing and can share symptoms like sensory issues or difficulties with planning.
Famous actors like Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom all have dyslexia. Pablo Picasso's teachers described him as “having difficulty differentiating the orientation of letters”.
Dyspraxia Awareness Ribbon Purple & Blue Enamel Pin Badge / Brooch - Etsy UK.
What are the symptoms of dyspraxia? Children with dyspraxia may be late in reaching normal developmental milestones for example an early sign of dyspraxia is a child taking longer to roll over, sit, crawl, stand, walk, speak and toilet train.
Poor sleep, stress and depression are common. Adults with dyspraxia can be prone to low self-esteem, emotional outbursts, phobias, fears, obsessions and compulsions, and addictive behaviours.
The short answer is, Yes! For example, it is widely believed that Albert Einstein was dyspraxic. He didn't learn to tie his shoelaces until he was 15.
Poor memory
Learning, thought, and memory difficulties can be indicators of dyspraxia. This may be through poor planning, a lack of organisation, or trouble focusing. They may seem to have trouble with their short-term memory, be forgetful, or tend to lose things.
The causes of dyspraxia aren't well understood. It is thought to be caused by a problem with the way connections develop between the nerves in the brain. There seems to be a strong genetic link — children with dyspraxia tend to have a parent with dyspraxia. It's also linked to complications during pregnancy and birth.