My main struggle with DCD/dyspraxia, especially as it pertains to the workplace, is managing the added fatigue and stress from handling the increased cognitive load that comes with basic executive functioning on a daily basis. I have also experienced periods of chronic pain from poor posture and other factors that may be a result of my gross motor skills being impacted by DCD/dyspraxia.

While I was diagnosed as a very young child and went to speech therapy for 10+ years, I was unaware of my dyspraxia until young adulthood when my parents told me. Given the lack of research and resources for living with dyspraxia as an adult, I’ve only brought up my dyspraxia with a work colleague once in my enter 10+ year professional career and have never even considered accommodations. I have various strengths and weaknesses, and I have become very good at masking my dyspraxia/DCD, especially in professional settings, so I have trouble knowing where my dyspraxia begins and ends, which adds to the confusion.

Having a space to discuss all of this and hear from others is incredibly heartening to me and something I have never been able to do as an adult.

N

Clumsy as they come. Now in my 50's, I ended up in physiotherapy for neck pain. I had neck pain because I had no core muscles. I never did sports because of lack of coordination, PE class was living hell in school. Tried dance for a bit, good fun but I was never in step with the others. My PT started me on ridiculously simple exercises. At first he told me what to do like you'd tell a normal person and I just wasn't getting it. So now he 1) explains which muscles I need to move, 2) touches them so I learn where they are, 3) demonstrates elaborately by doing the moves himself. This has been an amazing experience. Almost a year on, and I have a whole new relationship with my body. I'm starting to undersrand where it is in space, and how exactly to do things that sport people talk about, like moving from your core. Previously I *thought* I understood what that meant, but no I didn't. I'm injuring myself less frequently, and I can't help but think how much better life could have been if PE had been about how to connect to your body and understsnd how to move it, instead of being about encouraging the already naturally skilled people to be olympians while teaching the rest of us how to avoid the bullies through trial and error.

Not sure how much I have dyspraxia, I don't fall down, but I suck at video games and guitar and golf. The positions I imagined I was in for golf weren't even close. I can make swimming motions, but I don't float. I stub my toes and fingers a lot.

I feel drunk when dancing. I can barely swim. I can't ride a bike. I had to give up driving because it was too difficult - too much going on too fast. I struggle with sequences like following recipes. I have no short term memory. People around don't think dyspraxia is real and I should just try harder.

I was diagnosed with dyspraxia in elementary school, but the condition was and is largely unknown. It was a time before accommodations were made- even though I attended private school I was considered clumsy, inept, and a slow learner despite high test scores. Like many with dyspraxia, I also had undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder. I was not officially diagnosed with Autism and ADHD until my 50s.

In my present work, I manage issues with thought process and organization by focusing on creating written materials to effectively communicate. I manage issues with audio processing by controlling my work environment- using earplugs or headphones if needed. I'm lucky enough to work from home which allows me to create the best work environment I can. The vision issues are difficult to accommodate, but can be done using assistive devices in computer software.

I have found that growing up with dyspraxia has given me a sense of being an underachiever. It took me some time to be able to say that dyspraxia is not a character flaw, and doesn't make me a failure or diminish my accomplishments.

All of that said, it is still a quandary whether to share diagnoses such as these in the workplace. It worries me that management will see my growth potential as limited, or that others would see it as an excuse. In reality, like everyone else I have strengths and weaknesses, and can be a valuable contributer when I leverage my strengths. It would be great to feel safe to be open about these challenges that are an aspect of who we are.

I was born with a congenital vision issue that prevented me from seeing anything until I received my first pair of glasses at age 3. During my childhood I suffered from a series of coordination issues affecting my handwriitng, participton in sports. and even learning how to drive. The whole time these difficulties were presuemd to be solely related to my vision issues. However, after I was diagnosed wth autism spectrum disorder in middle age, I learned that dyspraxia is a common co-occurring conditon and realzied that my life long challenges were more than my vision issue.

As I learned more, I discovered that I experienced 73% of the most common issues affecting adults with dsypraxia. In exploring seven specific areas (Gross Motor Coordination Skills, Emotion & Behavior, Eye Movements, Fine Motor Coordination Skills, Learning, Thought & Memory, Perception, and Speech & Language) my percetnage increases to 92% in some categories.

This new infomation has changed how I view my past, present and future. I can now seek out the support I never knew I needed and it has made all the difference.