Yes, dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder) can indirectly cause mood swings due to associated frustration, anxiety, low self-esteem, and difficulty with emotional regulation, often stemming from struggles with daily tasks, social cues, and sensory overload, leading to outbursts or withdrawal. These emotional challenges, coupled with co-occurring conditions like ADHD, significantly impact mental well-being, making emotional shifts common.
Though its symptoms may appear to be mostly physical, new research based on teacher reports has found that those with DCD actually have much higher levels of emotional distress than their peers and are frequently anxious and downhearted.
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.
being slow to pick up new skills – they need encouragement and repetition to help them learn. difficulty making friends – they may avoid taking part in team games and may be bullied for being "different" or clumsy. behaviour problems – often stemming from a child's frustration with their symptoms. low self-esteem.
It causes difficulties with auditory processing, balance, coordination, muscle tone, fine motor skills, spatial awareness, sensory issues, concentration issues, emotional regulation and more. It also increases the likelihood of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
Meltdowns are more common in students with sensory sensitivities, anxiety, or learning differences like dyslexia or ADHD. Difficulties in reading, writing, or processing information can lead to frustration, anxiety, and overwhelming feelings.
It is thought to be caused by a disruption in the way messages from the brain are transmitted to the body, which can affect a person's ability to perform movements in a smooth, coordinated way. People with dyspraxia may also have associated diffi- culties with speech, language, perception and thought.
Some common signs of difficulty with emotional regulation in people with dyspraxia or autism include frequent meltdowns or outbursts, difficulty transitioning between activities or routines, and trouble understanding or expressing their own feelings.
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.
No one knows exactly what causes dyspraxia. But some things can increase your risk of developing it – for example, being born prematurely or having a low birth weight. Sometimes, you can get dyspraxia after having a stroke or head injury. This is called acquired dyspraxia.
Dyspraxia often co-occurs with other learning differences, such as dyslexia, ADHD and autism. Many people with dyspraxia are creative, determined and good at problem-solving.
The child is unable to sit still. This may be accompanied by high excitability, with a loud/shrill voice, proneness to temper tantrums and distress, constantly bumping into things and falling over, hand flapping on running, difficulty with a tricycle, lack of sense of danger, messy eating etc.
Dyspraxia isn't linked to intelligence, but experts say it can interfere with executive functions such as time management and short-term memory. It's thought the extra concentration needed to perform everyday tasks can cause fatigue, and many with the condition describe feeling frequently exhausted.
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.
Often the harder someone tries to talk, the worse it becomes, and increased frustration makes it more difficult. Dyspraxia can affect other actions except speech. Different types of dyspraxia may be dealt with by other health care professionals.
Symptoms of dyspraxia
If you have dyspraxia it may affect: your co-ordination, balance and movement. how you learn new skills, think, and remember information at work and home. your daily living skills, such as dressing or preparing meals.
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.
The "6-second rule" for autism is a communication strategy where a speaker pauses for about six seconds after asking a question or giving information, giving the autistic person extra time to process it without feeling rushed, which helps reduce anxiety and allows for a more thoughtful response, reducing frustration for both parties. Instead of repeating or rephrasing, which can be confusing, you wait, and if needed, repeat the exact same words after the pause.
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.
Although signs of the condition are present from an early age, children vary widely in their rate of development. This means a definite diagnosis of DCD does not usually happen until a child with the condition is 5 years old or more.
That's why many children with dyspraxia are often anxious and worn out. All these strong emotions can overwhelm your child, making her very anxious. And she might deal with this anxiety by clinging to you more, avoiding particular activities and responsibilities, or having frequent meltdowns.
Children with suspected DCD are usually assessed using a method called the Movement ABC, which involves tests of: gross motor skills – their ability to use large muscles that co-ordinate significant body movements, such as moving around, jumping and balancing.
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.
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.
The exact cause of development disorder dyspraxia is unknown. However, it is speculated that injuries to the brain may result in dyspraxia. Injuries may occur while the baby is still within the womb. Sometimes it could be due to adequate development of the brain cells or due to lack of oxygen during birth.