Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and dysgraphia affect how your teen moves, writes, and organises. This jargon-free guide helps you support them at school and at home.
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) — also known as dyspraxia — affects how the brain plans and coordinates physical movement. It affects roughly 5–6% of school-age children and is more common in boys, though not exclusively.
Dysgraphia is a specific learning difficulty that affects handwriting, spelling, and the physical act of writing. It often co-occurs with DCD, but can appear on its own. Both conditions are neurological in origin — they are not caused by laziness or lack of effort.
Many students with DCD or dysgraphia are of average or above-average intelligence. Their difficulties are specific to motor planning, coordination, and written expression.
Your child should have an Assessment Report from a qualified educational psychologist or occupational therapist (OT). This report outlines specific recommendations for school support.
Please share this report with our school's SEN (Special Educational Needs) department as early as possible. This assessment should be given to the school so that together we can go through the recommendations and agree on a support plan.
The Reasonable Accommodations in Certificate Examinations (RACE) scheme supports students in Junior Cert and Leaving Cert with documented needs. Students with DCD or dysgraphia may be entitled to significant supports — contact our school's SEN department well before exam season.
Secondary school students benefit from learning to speak up for themselves. Help your teen to:
Requiring handwriting at the same time as composing ideas adds huge strain.
For extended writing, typing is often much less effortful than handwriting.
Structuring ideas visually before writing reduces the planning burden.
Many students with DCD or dysgraphia can express ideas verbally much better than in writing.
Writing for long periods is exhausting with dysgraphia — break it up.
Reserve handwriting practice for short, purposeful sessions — not hours of homework.
Don't penalise spelling errors — focus on content and ideas first.
If handwriting is still needed, small adjustments can reduce discomfort.
Messy writing doesn't mean poor thinking.
You can request these supports from our school's SEN department — they are reasonable and widely used:
Tap any support to highlight it — useful for printing and bringing to a meeting with the school.
DCD affects a wide range of everyday tasks. At secondary school level, your teen may struggle with:
An OT is the key professional for DCD support — more so than a tutor.
Reducing the number of decisions reduces motor and cognitive load.
Small changes to tools can make a significant difference.
Exercise is important for DCD, but team sports can be discouraging.
Talk to the PE teacher directly — they can make a big difference.
Motor effort is exhausting — more than it appears from the outside.
Organisation difficulties are a core part of DCD. These strategies help:
Google Docs voice typing and Apple Dictation are free. Ideal for essays, notes, and homework drafts.
BBC Dance Mat Typing (free), Typingclub.com — build typing fluency so keyboards become a natural alternative to handwriting.
Enable on all devices. Microsoft Word's autocorrect and SwiftKey keyboard significantly reduce spelling and typing errors.
MindMeister, Coggle, or XMind — plan essays and projects visually before writing. Reduces structure anxiety.
Text-to-speech, word prediction, and writing support. Widely used in Irish secondary schools.
Free in Word, Teams & OneNote. Reads aloud, spaces text, and highlights words — reduces reading load alongside writing challenges.
Photograph whiteboard content instead of rushing to copy. Simple, free, and highly effective — confirm permission with teachers.
AI writing assistant that catches spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in real time — available as a browser extension and app.
Google Calendar or Apple Reminders with alerts helps manage timetables, homework deadlines, and activities.
Check the Assistive Technology document from our school for guidance on what is available and permitted. Our school's SEN department can advise on which tools are approved for use during State exams under RACE accommodations.
The NCSE (ncse.ie) regularly updates a list of useful apps and tools for students with learning difficulties, including those related to writing and motor coordination.
Research shows that many students with DCD and dysgraphia have remarkable strengths. Remind your teen of these:
DCD is associated with higher rates of anxiety and low self-esteem. Watch for:
You don't have to wait until it becomes a crisis — early conversations with school staff and your GP are always the right call.
Consider talking to the school Guidance Counsellor and your GP if emotional difficulties are persistent. Your GP can refer to:
The main Irish charity for DCD. Provides information on assessment, support services, parent workshops, and a helpline. Excellent starting point for newly diagnosed families.
Information on supports for students with special educational needs in Irish schools, including access to SNA support, assistive technology, and RACE accommodations. Their Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) are a key contact.
Official information on Reasonable Accommodations in Certificate Examinations. Check here for eligibility criteria, how to apply, and deadlines — apply via your school's SEN department.
Information on accessing Occupational Therapy and other supports through the HSE. Your GP can refer your child to OT services. Waiting lists exist but early referral is important.
Focused on supports in Further and Higher Education — useful for thinking ahead to college or PLC courses. Assistive technology, disability services, and planning guides for students with DCD or dysgraphia.
School-based psychological support service. NEPS psychologists work with schools to support students with learning and developmental needs, including DCD and dysgraphia.
Excellent resources and factsheets applicable to Irish families — covers secondary school strategies, social skills, emotional wellbeing, and further education planning for students with DCD.
Your first and most important contact is our school's SEN (Special Educational Needs) team. They can: