Two of the commonly co-existing issues that people with ADHD have are developmental coordination disorder (DCD), commonly known as dyspraxia, and dyslexia. DCD is a condition that affects physical coordination.
Dyspraxia is a developmental condition that affects motor movement and coordination. It's widely misunderstood and often misdiagnosed as ADHD. Dyspraxia can also be referred to as DCD or developmental coordination disorder. Dyspraxia often co-occurs with ADHD, but the two conditions are separate.
People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse. They may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders. Dyspraxia is a brain-based motor disorder. It affects fine and gross motor skills, motor planning, and coordination.
ADHD brains have lower dopamine levels which can lead to issues with sensory processing, motor control, and movement. You can improve coordination with balancing exercises, fine motor activities, and medication.
Dyspraxia is commonly identified alongside dyslexia – some reports even suggest that half of dyslexic children exhibit symptoms characteristic of dyspraxia. Attention difficulties and dyspraxia may also co-present, as can dyspraxia and autism spectrum disorder.
being born prematurely, before the 37th week of pregnancy. being born with a low birth weight. having a family history of DCD, although it is not clear exactly which genes may be involved in the condition. the mother drinking alcohol or taking illegal drugs while pregnant.
Apraxia is usually caused by damage to the parietal lobes or to nerve pathways that connect these lobes to other parts of the brain, such as frontal and/or temporal lobes. These areas store memories of learned sequences of movements. Less often, apraxia results from damage to other areas of the brain.
While ADHD is a learning difficulty that often affects attention, behavior or both, dyspraxia has to do with fine motor skills, language and planning abilities and is not always classed as a learning difficulty.
Exaggerated postural sway and longer gaits associated with the ADHD walk are believed to be a result of issues with cerebellar development - the part of your brain most involved in the coordination of muscles due to its connection to the somatosensory systems.
If, on the other hand, an individual with ADHD loses interest in an activity, his nervous system disengages, in search of something more interesting. Sometimes this disengagement is so abrupt as to induce sudden extreme drowsiness, even to the point of falling asleep.
Tend to get stressed, depressed and anxious easily. May have difficulty sleeping. Prone to low self-esteem, emotional outbursts, phobias, fears, obsessions, compulsions and addictive behaviour.
Dyspraxia, also known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), is a common disorder that affects movement and co-ordination. Dyspraxia does not affect your intelligence. It can affect your co-ordination skills – such as tasks requiring balance, playing sports or learning to drive a car.
In childhood, dyspraxia (also known as developmental coordination disorder or DCD) usually refers to a disorder in which children do not develop the motor skills that are expected for their age. While some children outgrow the condition, the majority continue to experience movement difficulty as adolescents and adults.
Poor motor coordination or motor performance is another common coexisting difficulty in children with ADHD, though it has received less attention in research. Children with ADHD who experience motor difficulties often display deficits in tasks requiring coordination of complex movements, such as handwriting.
Handwriting difficulties are common in children with attention deficient hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and have been associated with lower academic achievement and self-esteem [1–3]. Teachers report that the handwriting of both boys and girls with ADHD is immature, messy, and illegible.
Rambling and monopolizing conversations. People with ADHD can have trouble tracking a conversation thanks to poor attention control and retaining information in the moment. “This can lead to frequent interrupting because they might not remember what they want to say or what the other person said,” O'Shea said.
In general, ADHD doesn't get worse with age. Some adults may also outgrow their symptoms. But this is not the case for everyone.
But yes, fidgeting is a common symptom of ADHD, says Dr. Brian Zachariah, a psychiatrist at Mindpath Health. Fidgeting may look like tapping your foot, drumming your fingers, or constantly shifting in your seat. Many people with ADHD tune out when tasks are understimulating.
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.
However, this does not mean that they are the same. Fundamentally, autism is a disorder that affects socialization and communication, while dyspraxia affects motor skills and physical coordination. While coinciding symptoms aren't uncommon, the two are considered distinct disorders.
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.
Does dyspraxia/DCD run in families? Dyspraxia/DCD seems to run in families in some cases, but to date, no specific gene has been identified. It is likely that there are many different causes of dyspraxia/DCD, and genetics may be one.
Poor memory
Learning, thought, and memory difficulties can be indicators of dyspraxia. This may be through poor planning, a lack of organisation, or trouble focusing. They may seem to have trouble with their short-term memory, be forgetful, or tend to lose things.
Common Dyspraxia strengths
Dyspraxics often learn to develop soft skills such as active listening, empathy, and when to delegate tasks to others. Their desire for people to understand what they deal with ensures that they communicate clearly too. All these result in dyspraxics making good leaders.