Dyspraxia Awareness Week

What is Dyspraxia Awareness Week?

Dyspraxia Awareness Week was created by The Dyspraxia Foundation to raise awareness about Dyspraxia and educate people on how to support dyspraxic people.

Dyspraxia is a learning difficulty that affects movement, co-ordination, and balance. This can affect daily tasks such as living skills, social skills, as well as time management, planning and personal organisation skills. This is why Dyspraxia falls under the umbrella of neurodivergence.

When is Dyspraxia Awareness Week?

Dyspraxia Awareness Week 2023 takes place on Monday 9th to Sunday 15th October.

Why is there a Dyspraxia Awareness Week?

It is estimated that 5% of the population worldwide have dyspraxia and it is thought to affect up to 10% of the UK population.

Despite the high number of people who have the condition, managing dyspraxia in the workplace can be difficult for dyspraxic employees due to low levels of public awareness about it. Understanding the differences dyspraxic employees have with motor skills, organisational skills and short-term memory can be very helpful in providing full support for dyspraxic colleagues.

Awareness also helps us support dyspraxic employees through a strengths-based approach, rather than a deficiency one. Employees with dyspraxia are known to be creative, highly motivated and empathetic individuals who think differently when it comes to problem-solving.

Dyspraxia Awareness Week facts you should know

Here are a few quick Dypsraxia Awareness Week facts to know:

• Dyspraxia Awareness Week was created by the Dyspraxia Foundation.
• The Dyspraxia Foundation also conducts studies to get to know and get to understand dyspraxia. Recently they invited dyspraxic people to complete a survey about the topic of loneliness.
• The Dyspraxia Foundation organised a survey back in 2017 which revealed a significant lack of awareness of dyspraxia in schools.  43% of schools did not have a clear process for identifying students with dyspraxia, which means many people may enter the workforce not knowing they have the condition.

How to celebrate Dyspraxia Awareness Week in the workplace

There are numerous ways to commemorate Dyspraxia Awareness Week at work, including:

• Raise awareness about Dyspraxia by sharing this Awareness Page with your colleagues or downloading our Understanding Dyspraxia factsheet. Inclusive Employers members can download the factsheet for free.
• Invite your dyspraxic employees to share their experiences of being dyspraxic at work.
• Learn how to give effective support for dyspraxic colleagues at work.
• Arrange for neurodiversity training to take place at your organisation to deepen everyone’s understanding of Dyspraxia and other neurodivergent conditions.
• Use the Bitesize inclusion toolkit to host conversations about Dyspraxia.

If you’re a member and need more support with celebrating Dyspraxia Awareness Week, contact your account manager. If you’re not yet a member, get in touch today to see how we can help.