Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland Awareness Week
The ‘Our Say in Our Schools’ project was developed by a group of primary students with
Dyspraxia to help schools and teachers understand the day to day experiences of children with
Dyspraxia in schools.
‘Our Say in Our Schools’ is entirely focused on the experiences and thoughts of the children
themselves. The ideas, text and artwork come directly from the very talented children who were
involved in developing the resource and provides a rich and engaging story about their daily school
lives.
Each story is unique and individual and represents how Dyspraxia affects each child differently and
what each child thinks their teachers need to be aware of so that they can help children with
Dyspraxia to succeed at school.
This resource gives children a voice and enables them to have their say on their schools and to use their incredible talents and insight into their own lives to help other children with similar experiences to themselves.
This resource is to be launched during Dyspraxia/DCD Awareness Week, which is next week from November 22nd to 27th. The launch will be on Monday 23rd via Zoom and anyone can apply to attend via the link attached, with talks from other speakers on Wednesday 25th and Friday 27th.
Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland marks 25th anniversary with TIK-TOK Challenge
Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and will mark this special occasion by
launching Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland Awareness Week 2020 on the 22nd November. A packed
schedule this year sees the launch starting with a TIK-TOK Challenge which we want to make viral!
Students from the University of Limerick Occupational Therapy department have worked with us to
develop a fun and easy to do TikTok challenge especially designed to enable people with Dyspraxia
to participate.
There will be a virtual photography exhibition running throughout the week with the theme “I have
Dyspraxia/DCD and I am good at….”, showcasing the skills and strengths of people with
Dyspraxia/DCD. People who submit photos to us will be included in the exhibition running across our
social media accounts during the week.
Evening Talks include a line-up of speakers on diverse subjects such as ‘Our Say in Schools’, a
presentation developed by Occupational Therapist Stephen Hodnett, with primary and secondary
school students with Dyspraxia/DCD. ‘Adolescence and Mental Health’, an interactive online
discussion with Psychotherapist Lorraine Mooney on the impact of Dyspraxia/DCD during the teenage
years. Special guest speaker this year is Dr Sharon Drew from the University of South Wales whose
topic ‘Small Changes – Big Difference’ is guaranteed to be of huge interest to families, educators and
health professionals.
Due to the impact of COVID-19 this year’s Awareness Week will be fully online, giving attendees the
opportunity to participate and view talks from the comfort of their own home.
Dyspraxia, also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), is a life-long developmental
disorder which affects the way the brain organises movement and thought. Although there is still very
little awareness of this chronic neurological condition it is estimated that the prevalence rate in Ireland
is between 6-10%. This implies that most school classes will have at least one affected child.
Dyspraxia/DCD is reported to affect males four times as frequently as females and children born
prematurely and children with extremely low birth weights are at a significantly increased risk of
demonstrating Dyspraxia/ DCD.
Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland is a national member-based organisation with support groups located across
the country.
For further press information on Dyspraxia/DCD and Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland Awareness Week 2020
please contact:
Sarah Lynch on +353 86 8358563 or email info@dyspraxia.ie
