Dr. Dorothy Armstrong is proud to present ‘Skills for Everyday Living’, a series of workshops for parents/carers of children aged 7 and up, beginning in January 2024. The workshops will cover a range of topics, from goal-setting and breaking down tasks to planning and giving a child strategies to solve problems independently. The workshops will include Presentations, Groupwork, Discussions, Shared Learning and Lived Experience Perspectives to ensure that all learning styles are catered for. Alan Armstrong will discuss his experience of growing up with Dyspraxia/DCD and of successfully using this intervention method.

Dr Armstrong’s doctoral thesis was about Dyspraxia/DCD and she will be teaching parents a method of working with their children which is evidence based and goal focused.  As Dorothy explains, “The best evidence for intervention with children and young people with DCD/Dyspraxia is to work directly on developing their independence in the areas of Self-Care such as dressing, knife and fork skills, making lunch, showering; Productivity for example organising school bag, tidying bedroom, handwriting/typing etc; and Lesiure activities like art, music, playing a game, doing a sport.”

This project is run through Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland to meet the demand of the many families who contact this organisation through their helpline seeking information and support across a number of areas and across all of Ireland. The programme involves a series of workshops, and is offered both in person at various locations throughout Ireland and online through a series of webinars.  I have designed and am engaged in delivering the programme, with the content led by the needs of the membership of Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland.