Articles

I first realised that my dyspraxia was going to come into play in motherhood before my first day as a mother. It was April 16th, 2020, and the hospital was in a frenzy surrounding COVID. Being in the hospital to give birth, particularly after having been isolated during the tense first month of COVID, didn’t feel real. 

Janet Taylor has been a vital figure in raising awareness of dyspraxia, providing resources and support for the community through her writing. Her book, Dyspraxic Adults: An Empowering Guide, is an updated version of her earlier work, ensuring that dyspraxic individuals and their families continue to have access to much-needed information. As part of our Women’s History Month issue, we spoke to Janet about her work, the challenges of advocacy, and her advice for dyspraxic women and girls.

Supporting and Advocating for People with DCD/Dyspraxia

“What is up with my brain?” This is a question I wrestled with for years. When I was 5 years old, I was diagnosed with DCD or Developmental Coordination Disorder. There are many accommodations and opportunities I wish I could have accessed when I was first learning about and coming to terms with my DCD/dyspraxia. There are several types of people who play a part in the dyspraxia community, and two are discussed below. 

There I was at the age of 57, having an assessment by an educational psychologist with special expertise in specific learning difficulties. She identified that I had a learning profile showing dyspraxic characteristics. At the time, I was a Head of Department and Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, so it could be considered as a bit strange to request an assessment so late in my career. 

Growing up with dyspraxia, I often felt like a lone sheep. I had a brief understanding of how it affected me and a rough idea of how to navigate the world, but being the only dyspraxic I knew, it was hard to address people's misconceptions. It wasn’t just me; even my family was learning as we went along.

I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia at the age of 4 in 2002. It all started when I was in private school and I found concentration very difficult. I also struggled with remembering to tie my shoelaces and holding scissors, which a lot of people found quite amusing and entertaining. At first,I tried to fit in, but it became apparent that I could not cope and moved to mainstream education.

I have recently started training as an ADHD coach, and I feel there are a number of lessons from my new work that I can apply to the way I view and work with my dyspraxia. With that in mind, I wanted to share some of my thoughts.

have recorded 94 answers to the prompt ‘One thing we would like you to know about dyspraxia’ from a wide range of Dyspraxia Facebook community groups and on LinkedIn. Many common elements highlight the lack of understanding and respect for dyspraxic individuals. Society needs to make more effort to understand the disability and become more tolerant and accepting. 

Living with dyspraxia can often mean navigating a world that was not designed with you in mind. From seemingly simple tasks to professional responsibilities, dyspraxia can present unique challenges that require creative solutions and resilience. I have found that being open about my experiences and seeking out tools and strategies that work for me has helped me to flourish.

Dear Reader, forgive me if I do not start this story exactly where I should. You see, one of the quirks of having Dyspraxia is that organising thoughts into neat little packages on the page is not my strong point. My mind likes to wander, thoughts spill out in all directions — it’s like herding cats! But, hey, that’s just how my brain rolls.

In the summer of 2020 during the instability of the coronavirus pandemic through the periods of lockdowns I began doing something that would become so cathartic and therapeutic. I choose to launch a podcast. I had no experience in producing audio before, scripting or planning a podcast show. However the podcast became important in a tough time for myself. As at that time I was struggling through my worst period of autistic burnout, anxiety and depression.

I am a dyspraxic competitive Saber fencer which certainly comes with challenges. I train twice a week at Birmingham Fencing Club and have done so since 2022. I originally learned foil at the University of Birmingham Fencing Club in 2021 but did not want to stick with the style. Fencing is a strange enough sport without also throwing in dyspraxia, as movements have to be learnt specifically for fencing, which is unique to the sport.