Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia, otherwise known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor skills coordination. It can also affect "visual perception, spatial awareness, short-term working memory and organisation of tasks and thoughts" (Open University)
It affects the "planning of future acts, and is associated with problems of perception, language and thought". - FFPLD
NHS List of Potential Characteristics of Dyspraxia
- Co-ordination, balance, and movement difficulties
- Difficulties in learning a new skill, to process and remember new information
- Difficulties with daily tasks, for example, dressing or preparing meals
- Difficulties with writing, reading, typing, drawing, or grasping small objects
- Social communication difficulties
- Emotional management
- Issues with time management, organisation, and planning skills
Routine and Organisation
Students with Dyspraxia may struggle with building a routine and keeping organised.
Timeline of Work: To help organise and prioritise workload, students can utilise their deadlines as a beginning point. Knowing where the end point is and working backwards to set short-term goals (for example, having research or a draft finished by a certain point) can help build the skills in identifying the time it takes to achieve certain tasks in to prioritise.
Creating Structure and Routine: Helping students find their chosen "mode" of keeping organised, for example, with a diary, a large calendar on their wall, using apps or notes on their phone etc., and encouraging the repetition of using the same mode will help students build their own reliance on a structure method.
Study Goals: Setting short-term (weekly, daily) goals can help set aside the right time and organise their own daily tasks (Open University).
Study Skills
Active Reading: A study skill that helps students identify the usefulness and relevance of reading. Techniques include critically reading the text, making annotations of challenges or summaries of points, explaining the text to someone else or recording yourself reading the material and listening back to it (Open University).
Proof-Reading: Accuracy in proof reading may be affected and using tasks such as reading the assignment back wards (with an emphaisis on spelling, grammar, punctuation etc) may mean students recognsie these errors clearer (Open University).
Teaching Sessions: The ability to listen as well as making notes and engage in conversations may be difficult for students with dyspraxia, recording lectures may reduce this anxiety. Supportive software such as speech-to-text may also help students. For example, Dragon Dictate.
New Skills
Often, students with dyspraxia will experience anxiety when attempting to tackle a new skill or ability, this may be in part to their processing skills and ability to retain new information. (FFPLD)
For the majority of students, beginning University is not just an academic but a personal one too, especially the new found independence. Daily tasks (cooking, cleaning etc) may be affected for those with dyspraxia, which may create an added pressure for students in learning these new skills. Focusing on giving advice and tips for students on daily living tasks may help support their transition in learning new skills as well as this transition to independence.
"I think all staff should have to have a meeting and should be educated a bit more on all neurodiversity, and about how it can come up differently and how not everyone displays things the same".