What is dyspraxia? A guide for employers
Welcome to the first in a short series of blogs designed to help employers become more dyspraxia-friendly ‒ and, in doing so, more inclusive. The rest of the series will be published over the next couple of weeks.
Dyspraxia – also known as developmental coordination disorder or DCD – is a form of neurodivergence. Like dyscalculia and Tourette’s, it is far less widely understood than autism, ADHD and dyslexia.
It is estimated that around 5 to 6% of the population are dyspraxic – one in 20.
What does dyspraxia affect?
At its core, dyspraxia affects coordination and visual-spatial processing. This can manifest in challenges with:
Fine motor skills – such as handwriting and using tools
Gross motor skills – including team sports, cycling and running
Processing the visual-spatial world – for example, navigating unfamiliar environments
As an employer, you may already recognise how this could affect someone in the workplace – finding their way around a large workspace, for example, or using certain types of equipment.
Wider impacts in the workplace
Dyspraxia can also affect:
Following sequences of actions, particularly when instructions are delivered verbally
Organisation and time management
Verbal processing, particularly when fatigued
Energy levels, as many dyspraxics find they become fatigued due to having to work harder to process visual and spatial information
Again, you can probably see how this might present at work – tiredness towards the end of the day, a preference for written instructions, support with finding their way around buildings (particularly when new), and the need for structured support with keeping organised.
What dyspraxia does not affect
It’s important to be clear: dyspraxia does not affect intelligence.
People with DCD sit across the full range of intellectual ability.
Why this matters for employers
Workplaces can create significant stress, anxiety, and even avoidance if the needs of a dyspraxic employee – or job candidate – are not understood or supported.
But with the right awareness, and small, thoughtful adjustments, those same workplaces can unlock talent that might otherwise be overlooked.
What’s next in the series
Do you want to risk missing out on a potential asset?
In the sequel to this opening post, I’ll share practical tips, based on my lived experience, on how to make job interviews more inclusive for dyspraxic candidates. A must-read for managers and HR professionals keen to develop a more diverse, neurodiversity-representing workforce.
Working with me
If you’d like to go beyond awareness and take practical steps towards becoming a more inclusive organisation, I offer dyspraxia talks and workplace consultancy tailored to employers.
Feel free to get in touch to find out more.
