Jobs for Dyspraxia

Struggling for career ideas? Check out what jobs can be good for people with dyspraxia!

 


What jobs are good for people with dyspraxia?


Dyspraxia is a learning difference that mainly affects motor coordination. It can affect speech and is a lifelong condition. This developmental coordination disorder is distinct from other motor disorders such as cerebral palsy, and occurs in many individuals with varying levels of intelligence. How the difficulties present themselves can also vary, and can change over time depending on environmental changes and life experiences.

This neurodiversity can lead to difficulty in a number of areas: movement, coordination, processing, judgement, memory. These can show themselves through symptoms such as appearing clumsy, having unclear speech or difficulty planning or organising thoughts and tasks. However, as with all neurodiversities, people with dyspraxia have a great deal of strengths too!


Leadership

Dyspraxics often learn to develop soft skills such as active listening, empathy, and when to delegate tasks to others. Their desire for people to understand what they deal with ensures that they communicate clearly too. All these result in dyspraxics making good leaders.

Empathy

People with dyspraxia tend to have an innate ability to understand and respect what others are thinking or feeling. Their experience in struggling with things like coordination can mean they are empathetic when they see others in a tough situation.

Strategy

Dyspraxia does not affect a person’s IQ, but they may often have to navigate a mind which can be unorganized, meaning they are usually very intelligent people. Navigating around these barriers results in creating strategies to overcome problems really well.

Problem Solving

Dyspraxic people are great at coming up with different approaches to situations. Throughout school, dyspraxics find innovative ways to help themselves learn topics better, and this translates into working life, with dyspraxics being able to see alternative routes to others.

What are the impacts of dyspraxia in the workplace?


Dyspraxia can impact employees in several ways. Those with dyspraxia may have difficulty with fine motor skills, making tasks such as writing or typing difficult. They may also struggle with coordination, making it hard to stay organised. Additionally, dyspraxia can impact an individual’s ability to process information.

These challenges can make it difficult for employees with dyspraxia to advance in their careers. That is why workplace needs assessments can identify reasonable adjustments such as flexible work schedules or assistive technology that may be necessary for them to have equitable careers.

Despite the challenges that dyspraxia can pose, there are also several strengths that employees with dyspraxia can bring to the workplace. For example, individuals with dyspraxia often have a high level of creativity, strategic thinking, leadership and problem-solving skills. They may also be very good at visual tasks and have strong attention to detail.

Do you have to disclose dyspraxia to your employer?

There is no legal requirement to disclose dyspraxia to your employer. However, we have found psychological safety & trust play a big part in the reason, people with dyspraxia choose to disclose.

This is one of the reasons we deliver inclusive leadership programmes to build neuro-inclusive, psychologically safe workplaces to leaders throughout the organisation's culture.

When you have a sense of psychological safety and trust with your employer, colleagues, and other team members, you are more likely to ask for help when needed.

If you are considering disclosing, read our How to Disclose a Neurodiversity post. Answer the eight reflective and powerful questions to and make an informed decision on whether or not to disclose.

If you are an employer interested hiring someone with dyspraxia, please visit our Dyspraxia Recruitment page.



Examples of good jobs for people with dyspraxia


These strengths provide people with dyspraxia opportunities to become great leaders, and they can become very valuable members of an organisation. They are also generally well respected because of their ability to empathise well.

So, what are good jobs for people with dyspraxia?


Project Manager:
The ability to lead a team well and deal with situation strategically make dyspraxics perfect for a role as a project manager. Although they may struggle with organisation at times, with effective support, they can make brilliant commanders of teams!

Customer Service:
With the ability to empathise and overcome problems in innovative ways, people with dyspraxia can be effective at dealing with customer complaints. A role in customer service would allow someone with dyspraxia to help people, something they often are passionate about.

IT Support:
Problem solving also proves useful for roles in IT, where dyspraxics can use their skills to solve difficult problems. Having a strong strategic ability also allows for their decisions to be made taking into account the future of an IT system, not just the immediate problem.

Job Advisor:
Often what a lot of people looking for work, or looking to develop their skills, require is more confidence. The leadership qualities, partnered with empathy and problem solving, make dyspraxics some of the best job advisors and development coaches.