Yes, dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder) doesn't directly cause refractive errors like nearsightedness but significantly impacts visual skills, leading to issues with visual-spatial awareness, tracking moving objects, focusing (accommodation), and processing visual information, which affects reading, depth perception, and navigating surroundings. These vision problems stem from difficulties with the brain's motor control and processing, not the eye's physical structure.
Poor eye control can result in jerky eye movements.
This lack of fluidity in eye movements can result in problems with visual tracking of objects moving across a person's field of vision. It can also make reading difficult, as the eyes jump from word to word rather than moving smoothly from one to the next.
If you have dyspraxia it may affect:
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.
Dyspraxia is considered to be a hidden disability as the physical signs can be difficult to recognise. Dyspraxia is also less well known and often misunderstood, many people with dyspraxia do not realise they have the condition until later in life.
Put simply, yes. Dyspraxia is viewed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and disability law. This is because the Act defines a disability as 'any physical or mental impairments that have a substantial and long-term impact on an individual's ability to carry out everyday tasks.
Dyspraxia can make it difficult for people to maintain attention and focus, especially when there are distractions and interruptions. Some people can also experience excessive tiredness.
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.
Dyspraxia Awareness Ribbon Purple & Blue Enamel Pin Badge / Brooch - Etsy UK.
Currently there is no known cure for dyspraxia, and children do not 'grow out of' the condition. While they do not get worse over time, their challenges may become more apparent with increasing academic demands. They have to work harder and/or differently than their peers to achieve the same goals.
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.
Famous People with Dyspraxia
The main feature of congenital ocular motor apraxia is an inability to make horizontal fast eye movements from birth. Fast eye movements are called saccades and are used to quickly change the direction that our eyes are looking in. In this condition, the child fails to start fast eye movements.
People with a mild specific learning difficulty, perhaps not bad enough to be called dyslexia, can also have these visual problems. The visual problems can usually be treated with simple eye exercises. In some cases, glasses may be required. An eye examination with an optometrist will not be able to diagnose dyslexia.
Parkinson's-related Vision Changes
Dry eye due to decreased blinking is associated with PD and can cause blurry vision. Blurry vision can also be caused by PD medication, especially anticholinergics (such as trihexyphenidyl/Artane® or benzotropine/Cogentin®).
Instead, most healthcare professionals use the term developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) to describe the condition.
This can include people with chronic illnesses and conditions such as asthma or diabetes, those experiencing ill mental health including anxiety disorders, as well as neurodivergent individuals such as autistic people, those with ADHD, tourettes, dyslexia, or dyspraxia.
Orange was chosen to represent ADHD because of its energizing and stimulating qualities—it's a colour known to spark mental activity, reflecting the dynamic and active minds of individuals with ADHD. It also embodies warmth, enthusiasm, and joy, sentiments often associated with the spirited and vibrant ADHD community.
No, dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder) is not autism, but they are distinct neurodevelopmental conditions that often co-occur and share overlapping traits, with dyspraxia primarily affecting motor skills and autism focusing on social communication and behavior, though both involve processing difficulties and can lead to coordination issues. Roughly half of autistic individuals experience dyspraxia, and many with dyspraxia also have autistic traits, creating unique support needs.
Around 90% of autism cases are attributed to genetic factors, meaning autism is highly heritable, with many different genes contributing, rather than a single cause, often interacting with environmental influences during early brain development, though specific environmental factors don't cause it but can increase risk. Twin studies show strong genetic links, with concordance rates between 60-90% in identical twins, and research points to complex interactions of many genes and prenatal/perinatal factors.
Dyspraxia has been recognised by both doctors and therapists since the early 1900's and was originally described as “Congenital Maladroitness”. In 1925 French Doctors and Therapists called it “Motor Weakness”. Later in 1937 Dr Samuel Orton described Dyspraxia as one of the six most common developmental disorders.
People with dyspraxia may also experience issues with emotional regulation, such as: Frustration and anger – this may stem from the perception that they struggle with tasks that people without dyspraxia see as simple or routine.
Dyspraxia in toddlers slows achievement of developmental milestones and ability with gross motor skills such as crawling and walking and fine motor activities such as gripping objects.
Dyspraxic Strengths