Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Handwriting: How Occupational Therapy Can Help

For many children, learning to write is an exciting milestone. But for some, handwriting feels frustrating, slow, or even impossible. One common reason for these difficulties is Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)—sometimes referred to as dyspraxia.

At Growing Occupational Therapy, we often support children with DCD, especially when handwriting is a challenge. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)?

DCD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects a child’s ability to plan, organise, and carry out coordinated movements. It’s not about intelligence—children with DCD are just as smart as their peers—but their brains process motor skills differently.

Children with DCD may have trouble with:

• Balance and coordination

• Gross motor skills (running, climbing, catching)

• Fine motor skills (cutting, buttoning, handwriting)

• Learning new motor tasks (riding a bike, tying shoelaces)

  
  

How DCD Can Impact Handwriting

Handwriting is a complex task—it requires posture, strength, fine motor control, visual processing, and motor planning. For children with DCD, this combination can feel overwhelming.

They might experience:

• Poor pencil grip or difficulty holding writing tools comfortably

• Messy or illegible handwriting

• Slow writing speed, making it hard to keep up in class

• Fatigue in the hand, arm, or shoulder after short periods

• Difficulty spacing and organising words on the page

• Avoidance or frustration with writing tasks at school and home

These challenges can affect confidence, self-esteem, and learning participation.

How Occupational Therapy Supports Handwriting in DCD

Occupational therapists (OTs) break down handwriting into manageable skills and provide practical, playful strategies to help children succeed. OT support might include:

• Strengthening fine motor skills

  • Activities that build finger strength, dexterity, and hand stability (e.g. playdough, tweezers, pegboards).

• Posture and core support

  • Ensuring the child is seated well and has the core strength to maintain attention and stamina.

• Pencil grasp development

  • Exploring different grips, pencils, or adaptive tools to reduce fatigue.

• Motor planning and sequencing

  • Practicing letter formation through step-by-step, multisensory approaches.

• Visual-motor integration

  • Supporting the ability to copy shapes, letters, and words with correct spacing and alignment.

• Compensatory strategies

  • Introducing technology (keyboards, speech-to-text), lined paper, or modified expectations when handwriting places an unfair barrier to learning.

• Confidence building

  • Creating achievable goals so children feel proud of their progress rather than frustrated by comparison.

    
    

Final Thoughts

For children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, handwriting challenges are real—but with the right support, they don’t have to be a barrier. Occupational therapy can build the skills, strategies, and confidence your child needs to participate meaningfully at school and beyond.

At Growing Occupational Therapy, we work alongside families and teachers to make handwriting achievable, functional, and stress-free. If you’re concerned about your child’s writing or suspect they may have DCD, get in touch—we’d love to help.