writing dyspraxic characters

starcraftcd:

hey!! so i’ve seen things like this for a lot of things but not for dyspraxic characters. so i thought I’d do it myself as a guide i guess?? disclaimer: i’m not an expert or anything!! just a local dyspraxic mess™ hoping to help someone

firstly, if you didn’t know, dyspraxia is a developmental disorder that affects your coordination and movement. it can also affect your processing skills in general like your memory. it’ll affect different people in different ways so i’m just gonna do a list of examples:

• motor skills the big one. dyspraxic people will (probably) have problems with balancing, catching and throwing balls, driving, etc. because of. poor coordination and balance.
• if your character is in high school, pe/gym will definitely be an issue. i was pulled out of pe lessons in my last year of high school just because i was so bad at everything.
• even if they aren’t, you could show this by having them trip or bump into things a lot (not just when it’s plot-relevant) or mention that they walk or get the bus because they can’t drive/ride a bike. 
• they could have trouble tying their shoelaces (i was FIFTEEN when i finally managed to do it), or fastening buttons, etc.
• i don’t know if it’s to do with my dyspraxia bc i never asked my doctor (i assume, though) but i can’t put on makeup at all without it going everywhere and i can’t style my hair beyond a simple ponytail.
• or like, if your characters are in a club or something, mention that they’re a bad dancer, two left feet or something. you get the idea.

• handwriting this is actually how my teacher realised i might have dyspraxia, so it must be a pretty significant thing? 
• when you’re writing on lined paper, and you come to the end of the line and you start a big word bc you’re a dumbass, and then you try and fit the word in anyway. 
• or just having messy handwriting overall, or not being able to stay on a line or write small. these are pretty simple character quirks you could do in just a sentence.
• also, writing slowly. as in, much more slowly than everyone else- for example if the character is trying to take notes in class but the teacher moves the slide on too quickly, but no one else seems to be having problems.

• dropping shit. just like, all the time.
• in that vein, you could have a character who maybe gets fired or can’t keep a job in service (like as a waiter etc.) because they keep breaking plates or forgetting orders. 

• which brings me to memory problems, the bane of my existence.
• dyspraxia can affect your perception and memory as well, which means a lot of dyspraxic people can have trouble planning and remembering stuff.
• the one (1) dyspraxic character i’ve ever seen on tv had a notebook they took everywhere, and wrote down important things to remember, which i thought was a great idea and planned to start doing it. but then i forgot.

• other stuff that i can’t think of a name for but all kinda go together:
• being unable to concentrate in class, having trouble listening to one person, etc. 
• this might be more to do with my adhd but it’s also listed as a symptom on dyspraxia foundation so: taking way too long to finish something (even something you want to do/something important) bc you keep getting distracted or daydreaming or just staring off into the distance. you could maybe use this as a problem for your character or even just mention it/have them be interrupted doing this. 

uhh that’s all i can think of for now but if anyone wants to add on, feel free! as a reminder, i’m not an expert and not all of these things will apply to every dyspraxic person- everyone’s different. and please consider writing dyspraxic characters!! there are so few of them about.