Movement Without Pressure: Supporting Dyspraxic Young People

In many of my recent workshops about dyspraxia, one question came up again and again from parents and educators:

“How do we add more movement opportunities?”

It’s a very real concern. When people learn that dyspraxia affects motor planning and coordination, the natural response is to feel that their young person needs more movement practice. But the moment the word practice appears, many families also feel stuck.

For a lot of people, movement framed as something they ‘must practise’ can immediately feel overwhelming. What starts as well-intentioned support can quickly become another demand or yet another thing on the ‘to do’ list.

The good news is that motor development can happen when movement is woven into everyday life, interests, and connection with others.

Here are some ways that we reframed this during our workshop discussions.

Image from Canva

You may also be interested in my other blogs like “Talking with Your Young Person About Dyspraxia: Gentle Conversations and Respectful Support” and “Advocacy Language for Parents: Talking to Professionals About Dyspraxia”

Rethinking Movement

When people talk about supporting motor development, it often gets framed as practice.

You might be told your young person needs to practise certain movements, build their skills, or repeat activities to improve coordination. When you hear that, it’s easy to picture things like:

• drills
• repeated practice
• adult-directed “motor skill work”

The advice for repeated practice and sets of exercises is often very well intentioned and some people do want this kind of clear instruction.

However, if your young person finds demands difficult or simply isn’t interested in structured activities, that advice can quickly start to feel stressful for both of you.

But movement development doesn’t always have to look like therapy sessions or structured exercises.

Movement development can also look like:

• movement that grows from your young person’s interests
• shared activities you do together
• opportunities to explore movement without pressure

Motor skills can also grow through meaningful movement. For many young people, movement may happen through play, curiosity, and connection rather than through drills.

When movement becomes something your young person wants to do, rather than something they feel pushed to practise, it often becomes much easier for them to engage.

This shift can help reduce a huge amount of pressure that you and your young person might be feeling.

Movement Can Look Many Different Ways

Movement can happen in lots of everyday ways.

Movement Through Interests

One way to support movement is by following what your young person already enjoys.

This might look like:

• acting out scenes from a favourite show
• building obstacle courses for their toys or characters
• dancing or moving to music they love

Everyday Activities That Build Motor Skills

Many everyday activities support coordination and motor planning without feeling like ‘motor work’.

For example:

• building with Lego or construction toys
• helping mix ingredients when cooking
• digging in soil while gardening

These kinds of activities are part of everyday life and naturally support:

• coordination
• strength
• sequencing
• body awareness

Moving Together

Sometimes movement works best when it’s shared. When you move together, your young person also benefits from connection and co-regulation.

This might include:

• going for a walk while chatting
• casually throwing a ball back and forth
• playing with a pet together

Nervous System Safety Comes First

If your young person regularly finds engaging in movement activities too hard, it can be tempting to try to encourage them more strongly or find ways to get them to comply.

But for many dyspraxic young people, nervous system safety comes before skill development.

If movement feels like a demand, their nervous system may respond by shutting down.

In those moments, the priority isn’t getting them to complete an activity. It’s helping their nervous system feel safe enough to explore movement again. Often, when the pressure reduces, movement begins to return in more natural ways.

A Gentle Reframe

One question that can sometimes help us think about movement differently is this:

Instead of asking
“How do I get my young person to practise this skill?”

you might try asking

“Where is movement already happening in my young person’s life, and how can we build from there?”

You might notice movement happening when they play, when they’re excited, when they’re exploring something they love, or when they’re spending time with you.

Those moments are often the best place to start.

Thank you for being here,

Laura Hellfeld

RN, MSN, PHN, CNL

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Disclaimer: The information shared in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult a licensed healthcare provider for personalised support and care tailored to your specific needs.

Signposting and Resources

• Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People
• Gabby’s Glimmers: An Affirming Story of an Autistic Child and their Favourite Food
• Talking with Your Young Person About Dyspraxia: Gentle Conversations and Respectful Support, Blog
• Advocacy Language for Parents: Talking to Professionals About Dyspraxia, Blog