| Developmental coordination disorder | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Developmental motor coordination disorder, dyspraxia |
 | |
| Many people with dyspraxia have difficulty with tying shoelaces, writing and performing tasks that require coordination. | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry, neurology |
| Symptoms | Motor skills deficit and informational processing difficulties |
| Complications | Learning difficulties, low self-esteem, little to no engagement in physical activities like sports, leading to obesity |
| Usual onset | Early childhood |
| Duration | Lifelong |
| Differential diagnosis | Motor impairments due to another medical condition, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dysgraphia, joint hypermobility syndrome, Hypotonia, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder |
| Treatment | Physical therapy, occupational therapy |
| Frequency | 5–6% (of all age groups) |
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as developmental motor coordination disorder, developmental dyspraxia or simply dyspraxia (from Ancient Greek praxis 'activity'), is a neurodevelopmental disorder[1] characterized by impaired coordination of physical movements as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body. Deficits in fine or gross motor skills movements interfere with activities of daily living. It is often described as disorder in skill acquisition, where the learning and execution of coordinated motor skills is substantially below that expected given the individual's chronological age. Difficulties may present as clumsiness, slowness and inaccuracy of performance of motor skills (e.g., catching objects, using cutlery, handwriting, riding a bike, use of tools or participating in team sports or swimming). It is often accompanied by difficulty with organisation and/or problems with attention, working memory and time management.[citation needed]
A diagnosis of DCD is reached only in the absence of other neurological impairments such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease. The condition is lifelong and its onset is in early childhood. It is thought to affect about 5% of the population. Occupational therapy can help people with dyspraxia to develop their coordination and achieve things that they might otherwise find extremely challenging to accomplish. Dyspraxia is nothing to do with intelligence but people with dyspraxia may struggle with self-esteem because their peers can easily do things they struggle with on a daily basis. Dyspraxia is not often known as a disability in the general public.