Dyspraxia, otherwise known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), is a specific learning difficulty (SpLD). Its main difficulties manifest as problems with motor coordination, organisation, academic and social difficulties. There are now more students arriving at university with SpLDs, and, therefore, a similar rise may be expected within medical education. There has been no previous research focusing on dyspraxia in doctors. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used. Six UK foundation schools disseminated the announcements. Three participants took part in loosely structured telephone interviews regarding their experiences of undertaking medical school and foundation school with dyspraxia. These were transcribed verbatim and then thematically analysed. The themes could be split into two main categories: “Weakness and Coping Strategies” and “Perspectives of Dyspraxia”. “Weakness” included: clumsiness, organisation and needing extra time. The participants focused on their “Coping Strategies” that included: Ensuring safety, adapted learning preferences and external support. “Perspectives of Dyspraxia” included: diagnosis, career choice, stigma, “normalisation” and the “difference view” or “medical deficit” view of dyspraxia. Doctors with dyspraxia often mask their difficulties through sophisticated coping strategies. These were determined and hardworking individuals who believe that their dyspraxia was a positive aspect of their identity, adopting a “difference view”. They felt further education is needed about dyspraxia to change the perceived stigma. There is now a need for further research in this area.
In this paper we adopt an autoethnographic approach to explore the lived experiences of a UK medical student with dyspraxia within the current culture of UK medical education. An initial review of the literature revealed that there is now growing evidence regarding the difficulties experienced by, and support needed for medical students and doctors with dyslexia. However, no research has been conducted concerning dyspraxia on its own in medical education. Here we seek to provide an in-depth account of a UK undergraduate medical student with dyspraxia. It is hoped that this will have three outcomes: to support both students and staff across multiple disciplines, who have had similar experiences; to inform educators; and to promote further interest and research into this important area.
A literature review found five relevant articles. Four studies focused on HE students and one on doctors. A significant theme was that dyspraxia impaired learning new skills. Doctors with dyspraxia tended not to disclose their condition, for fear of stigmatisation and negative effects on their career. Positive attributes of dyspraxia included resilience and determination to succeed. Two main adaptations to dyspraxia were highlighted; a 'difference' view focusing on individuals' strengths, and a 'medical/deficit' view, focusing on their weaknesses and the negative perceptions of others. Doctors with dyspraxia tended not to disclose their condition, for fear of stigmatisation DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: It is important for clinical educators to understand and support students with dyspraxia, as clinical environments can be particularly difficult for them. Dyspraxia has both positive and negative effects. Here we discuss the findings of previous studies in the context of EW's personal experiences. We also present a series of practical recommendations, whilst recognising that more research is required to document their impact in clinical education.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.