Key Facts
| Age at diagnosis | A definite DCD diagnosis is usually not made until a child is around 5 or older. Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia/ |
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Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
Dyspraxia tutoring in England usually means one-to-one teaching that runs alongside the support a school already provides, giving a child with DCD (dyspraxia) more time with one adult on the skills that school support has identified, such as written work and organisation. Tutors cannot diagnose a need, assess for access arrangements or set statutory provision, so those decisions stay with the school and health professionals. The tutor's part is regular, well-paced teaching shaped around how the child learns.
What does the NHS say about DCD (dyspraxia)?
The NHS describes DCD as a condition affecting physical co-ordination, which leads a child to perform below the level expected for their age in daily activities. Healthcare professionals usually prefer the term DCD because dyspraxia can have several meanings, so the two names appear together as DCD (dyspraxia). The NHS adds that there is no cure, although a number of therapies can help a child manage their problems.
How can DCD affect written work in school?
The NHS says difficulties in school, particularly producing written work, can become much more prominent for a child with DCD (dyspraxia), with drawing, writing and performance in sports usually behind what is expected for age. Extra help at school may be needed, and the NHS describes it as a matter for the school as well as for health professionals.
A practical first step is to ask the class teacher or school SENCO where written tasks are proving hardest, since the SEND Code of Practice expects support to be based on a full understanding of the child's strengths and needs.
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Enquire about this tutorHow does a one-to-one tutor adapt sessions for DCD (dyspraxia)?
A tutor adapts sessions by breaking each task into smaller parts and returning to them often, in shorter steps with more practice and review. The NHS describes the same approach for movement, where children can be taught to break difficult movements into smaller parts and practise them regularly. Sessions are one-to-one and paced around how the child learns, concentrating on skills the child's needs make harder in a busy classroom.
Adapted tools and formats follow the same logic. The NHS gives special grips on pens and pencils as an example of adapting a task, and a tutor can use them alongside paced writing, where the speed of each piece is set around the child. Typed work can be used where the school permits it, which keeps sessions in line with how the child produces work in lessons. Organisation follows the same pattern, taught in short steps with regular review.
Who assesses DCD (dyspraxia)?
The route starts with a GP, health visitor or school SENCO, any of whom may be consulted first and may refer the child to an occupational therapist, paediatrician or another health professional. Assessment and any diagnosis therefore sit with the health service, and the NHS says treatment usually involves several healthcare professionals. A parent can begin by noting what is seen in written work and daily tasks and raising it with the GP or the SENCO.
How does school SEN support work for a child with DCD (dyspraxia)?
The SEND Code of Practice groups needs into four broad areas, namely communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, and sensory and/or physical, and it lists dyspraxia among the specific learning difficulties alongside dyslexia and dyscalculia.
School support then follows the graduated approach of assess, plan, do and review, and the Code says the purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take. Support should use well-evidenced interventions targeted at areas of difficulty and, where necessary, specialist equipment or software, and schools may involve specialists at any point.
Who decides access arrangements such as a word processor?
The school or college, called the centre in the JCQ regulations on access arrangements and reasonable adjustments, applies on the candidate's behalf, usually through its SENCo. Arrangements must reflect the candidate's normal way of working, so a parent can ask the SENCo what the school records as the child's normal way of working, including whether typed work is used in lessons.
A word processor, supervised rest breaks and squared paper for visual-spatial difficulties are all arrangements a centre can put in place without an online application. The question for a family is whether the school will put them in place for the child.
Are sessions online or in central London?
Sessions are held online for families across the UK or in person in central London, and tuition outside central London is online only. A parent can enquire and receive tutor recommendations for the child's age, subjects and needs, with the choice between online and central London sessions settled at that stage. The format chosen changes where sessions take place and leaves the school's decisions on support and access arrangements unchanged.
Related guides
- SEN tutors
- GCSE tutoring
- Catch-up tutoring
- SEN support plans in England
- Exam access arrangements
- JCQ access arrangements: extra time, readers and scribes
- Study skills and executive function
Tutoring with Taylor Tuition
Families who come to us for this stage usually want a tutor who can diagnose where the marks are being lost and then build a steady routine around it, and that is how our programmes are set up. Our tutors are drawn from a pool in which more than half hold Qualified Teacher Status, around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and which includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools.
Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject. There is no registration fee. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check and families receive progress reports after sessions.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a child with DCD (dyspraxia) have needs in other areas too?
- The SEND Code of Practice says children often have needs that cut across areas and that these change over time. For that reason, a parent can ask the SENCO at each review stage of SEN support whether the plan still matches the child's current needs, and can pass any changes in written work or organisation on to the tutor.
- Does the class teacher stay responsible if a child has one-to-one help?
- The SEND Code of Practice says the class or subject teacher remains responsible for the pupil even where interventions involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the class. A parent can therefore raise written work or organisation with the class or subject teacher at any point in the SEN support cycle, as well as with the SENCO.
- What should a parent share with a tutor before sessions start?
- The SEN support plan or EHC plan is the most useful document, since a tutor's part is teaching that carries its strategies into weekly practice. Any specialist or health input the child already receives is worth mentioning too, because sessions run alongside it. Examples of written work from school show the tutor where tasks are proving hardest.
- How can a parent and child take part in planning support?
- The SEND Code of Practice says parents should be fully aware of the planned support, and that schools talk to parents regularly and should include the pupil's views. Where appropriate, plans should seek parental involvement to reinforce progress at home, so a parent can ask the SENCO which strategies are suitable to practise outside school.
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