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A condition that persists, but can be compensated for
Contrary to a common belief, dyspraxia does not disappear with age. Its signs evolve, and the person develops compensation strategies that can partially mask the condition, but the underlying difficulties with motor planning remain. In adults, this often shows up as slowness with certain tasks, increased fatigue when learning new movements, or lingering organizational difficulties.
Dyspraxia Assessment in Montréal
When planning movement takes extra effort.
Dyspraxia, or developmental coordination disorder, affects the way the brain plans and carries out movement. The assessment clarifies the form of the disorder, rules out other explanations, and opens the door to interventions that truly help.
Clinical Definition
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
Dyspraxia, referred to as developmental coordination disorder in the DSM-5, is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the planning and execution of voluntary movement. Those affected show motor coordination noticeably below what is expected for their age, with significant effects on daily activities, learning at school, and sometimes work. The condition is present from childhood, although it may not be recognized until much later, in adolescence or adulthood.
At the core of dyspraxia
Motor planning, the true key to the condition
Dyspraxia does not affect muscle strength or the nerve signals to the muscles, which remain intact. It affects motor planning, meaning the brain’s ability to organize a sequence of movements before carrying them out. This is why people with dyspraxia can fully understand what needs to be done, picture the intended result, and still struggle to perform the movement smoothly. This distinction between thought and action is essential to understand, as it explains why dyspraxia has nothing to do with occasional clumsiness, laziness, or a lack of intelligence.
The three clinical forms
Verbal, motor, and visuospatial dyspraxia
Dyspraxia presents in three main forms, which can occur on their own or in combination. The assessment clarifies which form or forms are present for the person being evaluated.
Verbal dyspraxia
A persistent difficulty producing the sounds of speech smoothly, despite clear intent and an intact speech apparatus. In children, it shows up as delayed speech and unusual articulation. It often requires working alongside speech language therapy.
Motor dyspraxia
Difficulty planning and sequencing body movements in everyday activities. Learning to ride a bike, tie shoelaces, handle utensils, or coordinate movements in physical education takes disproportionate effort compared to peers of the same age.
Visuospatial dyspraxia
Difficulty organizing information in space, which affects handwriting, geometry, reading maps, building, and finding one’s way. A child may struggle to line up numbers in a math problem, copy a model, or find their way around an unfamiliar building.
An important clarification
Dyspraxia and intelligence, two distinct realities
Dyspraxia has no effect on intellectual functioning. People with dyspraxia are found across the full range of intellectual ability, just like the general population. Some even present with giftedness alongside DCD, a profile that reflects a form of twice-exceptionality. This confusion, still common in public perception, is part of why the condition remains underdiagnosed. The clinical assessment precisely documents the cognitive profile and rules out any confusion with another condition.
Dyspraxia in adulthood
Identifying dyspraxia when it was not diagnosed in childhood
Many adults seek a dyspraxia assessment after going through their entire schooling without the condition ever being identified. Signs in adulthood include persistent difficulty with fine or complex motor tasks, slow execution of precise movements, increased fatigue during hands-on activities, difficulty learning new movements, and spatial orientation that remains effortful. These difficulties can have professional consequences, particularly in occupations that demand dexterity or rigorous spatial organization.
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What an assessment in adulthood offers
The assessment documents the current clinical profile, establishes continuity with childhood based on the person’s own account, and rules out other conditions that could produce similar signs. A diagnosis makes it possible to put a name to an experience often wrongly attributed to clumsiness or a lack of effort, and to access accommodations in the workplace or in continuing education.
Warning signs
What may prompt a dyspraxia assessment
Here are signs frequently observed that may warrant a clinical assessment, depending on the age of the person concerned.
- Persistent delay in acquiring everyday motor skills such as tying shoelaces or doing up buttons, handling utensils, or riding a bike
- Handwriting that is slow, imprecise, illegible, or requires significant effort despite practice
- Marked difficulties in physical education or sports activities that require coordination
- Effortful spatial orientation, difficulty reading a map, finding one's way in a building, or copying a model
- In children, delayed speech or unusual articulation that resists typical teaching
- In adults, significant fatigue when learning new movements or performing precise motor tasks
- A lifelong sense of clumsiness with no clear explanation, despite efforts to improve
- Organizational difficulties that seem to go beyond a simple lack of method
The neuropsychological component
What neuropsychology brings to a dyspraxia assessment
The neuropsychological assessment documents the cognitive and perceptual motor profile, confirms or rules out the condition, and clarifies frequent co-occurring conditions such as ADHD or a learning disability.
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Clinical Interview and Developmental History
Documentation of motor development, learning at school, everyday difficulties, and medical history. The interview also explores the compensation strategies already put in place by the person and those around them.
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Measures of visuospatial and visuomotor skills
Standardized tests that measure construction, reproducing models, visual organization, and eye hand coordination. These measures document the visuospatial and motor forms of the condition.
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Intellectual functioning and executive functions
Administration of an age appropriate Wechsler scale to situate intellectual abilities and rule out an intellectual disability. Executive functions are measured to document frequent co-occurring conditions, notably ADHD.
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Integrated Analysis and Report
Synthesis of the cognitive and motor profile, clarification of the form or forms of dyspraxia present, documentation of any co-occurring conditions, and recommendations tailored to the school, workplace, or rehabilitation setting. The report can support a referral to occupational therapy or speech language therapy as needed.
Before you consult
The most frequently asked questions about dyspraxia
If your question isn’t on this list, reach out directly to discuss it.
Dyspraxia, called Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in the DSM-5, is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the planning and execution of voluntary movements. It has no impact on muscle strength or intelligence. It is present from childhood and persists into adulthood, often with compensatory strategies that can partially mask the condition.
Signs in adults include persistent slowness with precise movements, increased fatigue when learning new movements, organizational difficulties, effortful spatial orientation, and a sense of having always been clumsy without a clear explanation. The clinical assessment clarifies the diagnosis and points toward appropriate interventions.
Verbal dyspraxia affects the production of speech sounds. Motor dyspraxia affects the coordination of body movements in daily and sports activities. Visual-spatial dyspraxia affects the organization of information in space, which affects handwriting, geometry, and spatial orientation. A person may present a single form or a combination.
Dysphasia, now called developmental language disorder, affects the comprehension and production of oral language in its linguistic dimensions. Verbal dyspraxia specifically affects the motor planning of sounds, meaning the movement of the vocal apparatus. The two can coexist, and the clinical assessment distinguishes between them.
Yes. Dyspraxia frequently occurs alongside ADHD and can coexist with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. The clinical assessment documents the full cognitive profile to identify the different dimensions involved and formulate recommendations that take each one into account.
Most private insurance plans partially or fully cover assessments carried out by a psychologist who is a member of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec. Fees are eligible for the federal and provincial medical expense tax credit. The exact terms vary from plan to plan and should be confirmed with your insurer before the first appointment.