Seeking a diagnosis of Dyspraxia as an adult can be challenging as there is no clear pathway for adults.
It is important to understand why you are seeking a diagnosis, if this is to better understand yourself then there are online dyspraxia tests that you can do, which whilst these are not formal diagnosis can help you better understand your needs.
If you are seeking a diagnosis for medical purposes or to confirm your needs then your first step will be to speak to your GP.
Before speaking to your GP be prepared that as an adult they may not know where to refer you so you may need to do your own research first.
Keep a diary before your appointment of coordination challenges you may be having that affect your daily life. This could include; time keeping, organisation skills, hand to eye coordination and/or memory coordination.
Ask family members to do the same based on their observations of you now and in the past as you were growing up.
If you are seeking a diagnosis due to struggling at work or in day to day life then these assessments can be carried out by Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Clinical psychologists or in some cases via your employer of Jobcentre Plus. You can speak to your GP about the different options and choose what is right for you.
It is important with a needs based assessment to understand why you are seeking this diagnosis, how is this impacting on your life – which is why the diary is important!
An assessment will look at various things including fine motor skills, balance and coordination, organisation and planning skills, time keeping, attention and memory processing, sensory and spatial awareness as well as self esteem and wellbeing.
