Mental health support for kids with DCD

Dyspraxia can affect more than just physical coordination; it often impacts a child’s mental health. Children with dyspraxia may face challenges in social situations, leading to feelings of frustration and low self-esteem. Support strategies include creating structured environments, providing clear and consistent routines, and encouraging activities that build confidence and social skills. Dyspraxia can have significant impacts on an individual’s daily life, including difficulties with coordination, motor planning, and communication. These challenges can affect academic performance, socialization, and overall quality of life. Signs of DCD are usually confused with symptoms of other disorders (ADHD, dyslexia, or dysgraphia). For those reasons, it is essential to have relevant information about DCD and indicators for up-to-date detection. If not treated on time, DCD can make a person’s life and involvement in many activities very challenging. Youth workers and other professionals are frequently puzzled and concerned by the kids’ lack of interest in learning new things. They might wrongly characterize these kids as being unmotivated or lazy. But the reality is quite different.

These kids work very hard, but because they do not acquire new abilities (especially motor ones) as quickly as their classmates, they are typically reluctant to try them. They frequently show interest in the activities their friends do but become discouraged when they fall short. As a result, they withdraw from activities because they’re unable to acquire skills without great effort and feel isolated from their peers. This negatively affects their physical (stress, less physical activity) and mental (isolation, exclusion, depression and anxiety) well-being. An inability to cope with demands can lead to emotional difficulties, stress, frustration, anxiety, tension, and failure, with resulting low self-esteem, and possible behaviour problems. Without the reliable use of information from experience and his or her senses, judgment and awareness of others feelings, of his or her own feelings, and of situations may be impaired. The kid may have difficulty in balancing and centering himself emotionally. He is normal looking, so there may be unrealistically high expectations of him. Because he is less in control, he may become more demanding. He may show inappropriate emotions, or too much emotion, may be unable to understand or express his feelings or to moderate his interactions with others