Parents are joining together to shine the spotlight on a "hidden disability". Chief reporter SARAH CAREY finds out more...
COULD your child be among the one in four in the UK to have dyspraxia?
But, thanks to a group of determined mums who are doing all they can to support other parents and raise awareness of the "hidden disability", help is at hand.
The idea was the brainchild of Mandy Easters, of Humberstone Road, Grimsby, who felt there was no support available when her son Freddie, 9, was diagnosed with the condition last October.
She set up a Facebook group in the hope of contacting other parents in the same position and was overwhelmed when almost 80 parents signed up.
Now, she and other mums meet up to talk through their experiences, swap tips and do their best to get teachers and medical professionals to recognise the signs and support those with the condition.
Very often sufferers are simply dismissed as being lazy, forgetful, clumsy or day dreamers, when in fact it is their undiagnosed dyspraxia that causes them to have a short attention span or poor balance.
Communication is also a problem for many sufferers, which means they are scared to let teachers know they don't understand or are falling behind.
Mandy said: "I didn't know anything was medically wrong until Freddie was diagnosed.
"I looked it up and, as I went down the list of symptoms I realised all the things I thought were just 'Freddie being Freddie' were related to it.
"When I thought back to all the times I had told him off for being clumsy for knocking drinks over, or thought he was being lazy leaving his buttons done up (fine motor skills are also difficult for some sufferers), I felt so guilty."
And the other mums had similar stories, which document the wide range of issues faced by those with the condition.
Ruth Philps, whose daughter Georgia, 10, suffers with weak wrists, said she often pours milk all over the kitchen when preparing cereal.
Jenny Redman's daughter Chloe, 10, has been prescribed medication to help her sleep, as she can't switch off at night, while Michelle Ward's son Owen, nine, has problems using knives and forks.
Tina Tomlinson, a qualified teacher, said her 18-year-old son Michael was being held back from doing his chosen college course, as his condition meant he was unable to get the C grade he needed at English.
She said: "One of the issues they have trouble with is communicating what's in their heads, so to get the D he got was wonderful for him – it's just not enough for the course he wants to do.
"I wish there had been something like this group when he was growing up. There was nothing.
"It would have been wonderful to have someone to talk to and them to say 'yes, that's a dyspraxia trait. It's normal'."
Jenny added: "You get a lot of people saying don't label children with this or that but I believe it does more damage not to diagnose them.
"It's important for children, their families and their teachers to have information about why they are the way they are and what can be done to help and support them.
"If children aren't diagnosed or they don't get the support, it can cause long-term issues, which they take forward into work, relationships and the rest of their lives."
Find out more
For more information about the group and its work, visit its Facebook page Dyspraxia – North East Lincs Support Group.
What are the symptoms? Signs to look out for ... WHILE no two people with dyspraxia will have exactly the same traits and difficulties as another, there are some signs to look out for. Infants: Milestones, such as sitting, crawling, walking, speaking, standing and potty training may take longer to accomplish. They may be more demanding of your attention than siblings without the condition. Problems sleeping. Early Childhood: Problems using cutlery, scissors and handwriting – which is often said to be "messy". Difficulty getting dressed. Many sufferers find it hard to tie shoe laces, do up buttons and use zips. Problems with jumping, throwing, catching a ball, hopping and skipping. Avoidance of jigsaws and constructional toys. Problems processing thoughts. Short attention span – the child may find it hard to focus on one thing for long. Finds it difficult to socialise and join in with other children. Learning to ride a bike or scooter can take longer due to poor balance. Prefers adult company to children. Hesitates a lot. Clumsy. Sufferers tend to trip over, bump into things, drop things or knock things over more than other children. Lack of imagination. Overly sensitive to bright light, loud noise and textures, such as tags in clothing. Later Childhood: Only slight improvement, if any, in the traits shown in early childhood. Tries to avoid PE or sports. Find maths and/or writing difficult. Takes a long time to write and has difficulty copying. Short term memory span. Doesn't follow instructions. Badly organised. Continual conversation and constant questioning. Adulthood: Slight improvement on childhood traits as sufferers find ways to cope with their condition. Problems learning to drive. No sense of direction. Lack of self esteem and problems with depression. Prone to obsession, phobias and addictive behaviour. Poor listening skills, especially in crowds. Bad time keeping. Hard to hold on to a job due to slowness, bad memory, poor organisational skills Gets angry when stressed or asked to do things they can't manage.