Motor Planning Difficulties
What strengths can a child with Motor Planning Difficulties have?
Children with motor planning difficulties (dyspraxia) often have real strengths: creativity, verbal ability, empathy, determination, strong memory and big-picture thinking. Building therapy on these strengths helps harder movement skills follow. A clinical AbilityScore and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle centre, under clinician care.
Behind the hard work of planning a movement, many children carry remarkable strengths that deserve to be seen and celebrated.
In short
A child with motor planning difficulties (often described as dyspraxia) finds it harder to plan and sequence new movements — but this says nothing about their intelligence, imagination or heart. Many of these children are wonderfully creative, verbally bright, deeply empathetic and tenacious problem-solvers. When we build on what comes easily, the harder skills follow more readily, and your child's confidence grows with them.Strengths these children often show
- Rich imagination and creativity — strong ideas, original thinking and vivid storytelling, even when the body finds it hard to keep pace.
- Verbal and language ability — many express themselves well in words, with good vocabulary and reasoning.
- Empathy and warmth — having worked hard at things others find easy, they are often kind, intuitive and supportive of others.
- Determination and resilience — practising a skill many times builds real grit and a never-give-up spirit.
- Strong memory and problem-solving — finding clever workarounds and remembering routines and details.
- Big-picture and visual thinking — seeing patterns, connections and creative solutions adults miss.
These are not consolation prizes — they are genuine engines of progress. A child who loves stories can be guided into movement through play; a determined child practises willingly when tasks are broken into achievable steps.
The Pinnacle way
A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an app or online form. Our therapists map your child's motor planning profile alongside their strengths, so occupational therapy builds from what your child already does well. You can also learn how the AbilityScore is established as a clear starting point for your family.Trusted sources
WHO ICF framework on functioning and participation; American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on developmental coordination and child strengths; ASHA resources on motor and praxis development.Next step — Want your child's strengths mapped as clearly as their challenges? Book a Pinnacle assessment.
This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care.
What to watch
Notice where your child shines — storytelling, kindness, persistence, clever solutions. These strengths are the easiest doorway into practising harder movement skills.
Try this at home
Turn a tricky physical task into something your child loves. If they enjoy stories, narrate each step like an adventure — it makes planning the movement feel like play, not work.
Trusted sources
Developed by SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network · Last reviewed 2026-06-10 · reviewed every 365 days
This is general information, not a diagnosis. A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care.
Frequently asked
Does motor planning difficulty affect my child's intelligence?
No. Motor planning difficulty (dyspraxia) affects how the brain plans and sequences new movements, not how clever a child is. Many children have strong verbal, creative and reasoning abilities.
How can I build on my child's strengths at home?
Use what your child loves to make movement practice enjoyable — link physical tasks to their favourite stories, games or interests, and break new skills into small, achievable steps with plenty of encouragement.
Will therapy focus only on what my child finds hard?
No. At Pinnacle, therapists map your child's strengths alongside their challenges, so occupational therapy is built from what your child already does well, which makes progress faster and more confident.