Dyspraxic Dad: one month on
A month has passed since I launched this site. It seems a good time to reflect, looking back at what inspired its creation.
Earlier this year, my organisation – a public-sector employer of about 3,000 people – announced that a member of staff was completing a PhD on how workplaces support neurodivergent employees, or don’t, as the case may be.
She was looking for neurodivergent colleagues to volunteer for interview. I always enjoy participating in research so got in touch immediately.
I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. We explored so much.
My lived experience of dyspraxia as a child, teenager and young adult.
The many ways DCD has disabled me.
The impact dyspraxia had on my mental health when I was younger.
DCD’s lowly position in the hierarchy of awareness of neurodivergent conditions.
Avoidance, particularly when I was younger.
Those accommodations in the workplace and other aspects of my life that have helped me.
The interviewer said some flattering things to me at the end, saying that she could have continued talking for hours.
That evening I went for a run. Always a great time for reflecting.
I was surprised and energised by how much I had to say, how passionate I felt saying it, and how under-represented I felt the lived experience of dyspraxia was.
Then the idea came to me: why not develop a website that could be an information hub written from the perspective of my lived experience – and my daughter’s?
A place where I could write and talk about a subject I feel passionately about – and do my bit to raise awareness of a form of neurodivergence that still receives far less attention than autism, ADHD and dyslexia.
I went for it.
From how to spot DCD in school kids to how to make workplaces more inclusive for dyspraxic colleagues, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing everything so far. It’s felt cathartic.
And I've still got so much more to say. Keep checking back for more!
