All About Dyspraxia: A Practical Guide for Secondary Teachers

Kim Griffin is a paediatric occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience supporting children, their families and teachers. She is the founder of GriffinOT and the author of Success with Sensory Supports. Her current research focus is on supporting student self-regulation in mainstream schools.

“All About Dyspraxia provides myth-busting advocacy of dyspraxia/DCD. It expands knowledge and understanding of dyspraxia/DCD beyond a simple assumption of clumsiness and co-ordination difficulties, integrating the stages of ideation, planning and doing into all activities. The book is well structured with a clear, insightful and accessible writing style and it contains an excellent array of practical strategies for teachers including subject specific suggestions for supported action. It is a great resource with practical application.”- Judith Carter, educational psychologist, author and director of Willow Tree Learning“All About Dyspraxia is an essential and timely resource for educators. With waiting lists growing, this book meets an urgent need for practical, accessible guidance. Its strength lies in expertly dismantling misconceptions and moving ‘beyond clumsiness’ to illuminate the true physical and behavioural signs of dyspraxia. The insightful sections on concurrent conditions and myth-busting are invaluable for accurate recognition and intervention. Most importantly, this book provides teachers with the actionable strategies we need while championing the crucial partnership with parents. This is a must-have guide that will undoubtedly transform classroom support for children.”- Sarah Watkins, associate lecturer, University of Worcester, UK, and author of Outdoor Play for Healthy Little Minds and 99 Eco-Activities for Your Primary School"When you've got limited time to read up on things, but you know you've just got to do something to help that child in your class, what you need is a quick go-to resource that tells you the important things you need to know but also gives you really practical strategies to help. This book does both. You feel reassured it's been written by someone who knows what they're talking about when it comes to dyspraxia and who also has insight into the demands of teaching. This book is a great addition to your inclusive toolkit."- Pippa McLean, former teacher and SENCO, author of The Pocket Diary of a SENCO and Could Do Better“As the mother of an adult with dyspraxia, I found the secondary school edition of this book to be incredibly valuable, and I wish we had had this when my daughter was at secondary school. The guidance on navigating the transition to secondary school is especially helpful – it recognises that students must essentially start afresh, learning new routines and expectations from scratch. I particularly liked the inclusion of quotes from both students and teachers, which make the situations real, and more relatable. The sections on exam preparation and project planning are helpful. The book offers clear, practical support to help dyspraxic students stay organised and reduce stress during revision and exams. Importantly, the book doesn’t just focus on academic skills; it also provides helpful strategies for supporting social skills, self-esteem, and overall wellbeing during the often challenging secondary years. I also appreciated the recognition that fine motor challenges extend beyond just handwriting, and how the book explores a range of difficulties and ways to address them. I would recommend this resource to parents as well as anyone working with a dyspraxic young person in secondary education.”- Lynn McCann, Autism, ADHD and PDA Specialist Teacher, Author and Speaker"All About Dyspraxia is a resource which will be helpful for early career practitioners who wish to enhance their classroom inclusive approaches. This book provides a good, underpinning understanding of what dyspraxia/developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) is and how it can impact a learner’s social, emotional and academic development. The author clearly identifies how dyspraxia can co-occur with other neurodiverse conditions and the way this might impact on learners’ ability to learn and socialise. All About Dyspraxia offers practical solutions and new ways for a practitioner to ensure a learner with dyspraxia can access, engage and succeed in their classroom."- Sue Soan, Author, Editor and Education Consultant

• Foreword xiPART 1INTRODUCING DYSPRAXIA 11 Introduction 3Defining ‘dyspraxia’ 4Formal diagnosis 7How DCD is diagnosed 8Possible causes 9Prevalence 9Long term – adulthood 102 Ideation 123 Planning 144 Doing 185 Co-occurring conditions 206 Impact on mental health and behaviour 247 Recognising strengths 27PART 2TEACHING DYSPRAXIC CHILDREN: PRACTICAL STRATEGIES 298 Setting learners up for success at secondary school 319 The transition to secondary school – ideas for primary schools 3810 Secondary school transition – the first few months 4111 Reframing behaviour 45Choice and avoidance 45Inattention or difficulty with planning 46Looking at past behaviour 4712 Teaching new skills 4913 Generalisation 5414 Sensory needs 57Sensitive responses 57Slower responses 59Sensory seeking 6015 Supporting organisation skills 62Classroom set-up 63Task set-up 6316 Transitions throughout the day 65Telling the time 65Planning for the day 65Timetable changes and new school year transitions 6617 Managing belongings 68General set-up 68Labelling belongings 69In the classroom 7018 Planning homework, projects and exams 72Managing homework 73Setting up a project/study plan 74Actioning the project/study plan 75Managing multiple projects across time to meet deadlines 77Exams 7819 Breaks and unstructured time 8020 Social and emotional support 82Building self-esteem and recognising effort 82Managing anxiety and overwhelm 84Supporting social relationships and peer interactions 85Managing frustration and emotional regulation 86Fostering independence while providing support 8821 Fine motor skills 9022 Handwriting skills 92Writing and recording 92Composition 93Digital tools for handwriting 9423 PE 9624 Creative subjects 100Supporting ideation 100Supporting planning 101Supporting doing 102Safety with tools 10225 Technology and assistive tools 104Classroom integration 104Organisation and planning 105Enabling creativity 107Supporting writing 108Using AI 10826 Self-care skills 11127 Partnering with parents 113Build collaborative relationships 114Share solutions between home and school 114Supporting diagnosis 115Secondary school transition when there is already a diagnosis 116Managing belongings 118Supporting social emotional needs 118Extracurricular activity ideas 120Further resources 123References 125Index 129