Dyspraxia Diagnosis Rate Differences based on Sex

by Krystal Shaw September 20, 2021

In February 2021 we performed a survey that was incredibly insightful and allowed us to see data on how dyspraxia diagnoses are provided based on sex and age along with ethnicity and country of residency the data also helped debunk some stereotypes. As this piece of writing is referring to a study we will be appropriately referring to sex (Male/Female) rather than gender (Men/Women).

We received a total of 153 responses, of those responses when asked what sex they were assigned at birth we had 106 females and 45 males. 86% white, 6% black/mixed-race black, 3% South Asian/mixed-race South Asian, and 5% West Asian/ mixed-race West Asian. From countries such as the UK, Germany, the USA, Canada, India, and more.

We wanted to look more closely at how at the difference between when and how different sexes were diagnosed as there are still myths floating around that boys are more affected by dyspraxia than girls. We know this is no longer true as more recent studies reflect our findings.

In total, we had 28 undiagnosed participants of which 23 (or 82%) were female compared to the 5 (or 18%) who were male, all of those are were aged between 18 and 81.

One of the female participants said she paid to have an assessment but was told she was unable to receive a diagnosis as they didn’t have enough information about dyspraxia in women to make the diagnosis official.

Of those who were diagnosed and shared their assigned gender at birth, 67% were female and 32% were male. 80% of those males received their diagnosis during their school years (16 or younger) compared to only 21% for females.

So not only does this show that a large majority of participants are female, which shows more evidence of dyspraxia not being a male-dominated disorder, but of the male participants, most of them received their diagnosis at an appropriate age for receiving support. This shows that dyspraxic females are expected to not be supported during the most important educational years of their life, but that they are also expected to pay for their diagnosis later on in life. In countries like the UK, a diagnosis is free up until the age of 18, however, this will vary across the world. The study did show that while a large proportion of those with a diagnosis received little to no support at school, the majority of them did receive at least some support.

Of the female participants who did not have a formal diagnosis 5 said they would not want to seek one compared to the 18 that did hope to get one. All of the female participants said the reason they had not sought/received a diagnosis was due to the cost and/or availability to access one in their area/country. Four of the women were told they were too old to receive one or that it was pointless as they weren’t of school age. We know how important a diagnosis is for not only yourself but also for work purposes.

We believe you can never be too old to receive one, as there are many beneficial reasons for having one.

3 of the male participants who had not received a diagnosis were over the age of 70 and explained how during their school years, dyspraxia had not yet had a name and so a diagnosis was not possible then and felt it no longer affected them severely enough to get a diagnosis. The other 2 males were undiagnosed due to cost and availability in their county.

Total participants with a diagnosis: 93 females 40 males and 2 ‘prefer not to say.’

Early studies previously stated that dyspraxia was more common in boys (males) than it was girls (females). This has since been disproven in many studies, however, the struggle to make this widely known has proven difficult. We have noticed that some current research papers still quote outdated studies instead of using more recent ones.

Total participants with a diagnosis: 93 females 40 males and 2 ‘prefer not to say.’

A recent study by the Dyspraxia Foundation from 2015 explains how dyspraxia affects both sexes equally, it’s the diagnosis criteria that does not.

That study and this one would actually suggest it is more present in females as over double of the participants are females (67%-69%). However, future studies will explore this further as our audience grows, we expect it to become more equal, however we are keen to see if this changes or not.

Total participants with a diagnosis: 93 females 40 males and 2 ‘prefer not to say.’

Why is this?

Like with other neurological conditions such as autism, for example, studies were mostly performed on young white males. Female participants were excluded from a number of studies (across all medical fields), and by doing so they disbarred seeing how different sexes display their symptoms, and so girls were not being diagnosed as the criteria excluded them. Autism research has made huge leaps in studies in recent years by being massively more diverse and accessible (this does not mean they are as diverse as they could/should be though), dyspraxia studies still have a lot of catching up to do in comparison.

To give an example of how current studies are not diverse enough, the last 3 studies we were sent looked like this: study 1, 45 boys and 3 girls (all white British) Study 2, 28 boys and 1 girl (all white British) study 3, 26 boys and 1 girl (all white). It’s worth noting also that all studies that are performed ONLY on children are specific to those who have received a formal diagnosis. There are no current studies performed for those who are not, (the same applies to adult studies, of which there are very few) again this excludes people who have dyspraxia, but because of the outdated diagnosis criteria do not officially have their diagnosis.

By excluding those who may have dyspraxia but don’t have a diagnosis yet it means they are only studying the same signs and symptoms over and over again as those with a diagnosis have one based on a criteria of people all assessed with the same signs and symptoms.

And by doing so, the biggest exclusion we face is of people who are of non-white descent as these studies are mostly performed on young white participants in white-dominant countries, which even then should still show some diversity but simply lacks it. (Many of these studies in question can be found here.

The Dyspraxia Foundation’s study called DYSPRAXIA – “IS IT A BATTLE OF THE SEXES?” It talks about this topic and those studies in much more detail which makes a very interesting read. Chloe Alice also wrote a piece about dyspraxic women which reflects our study's findings and what the foundation has written.

As we are predominantly an English speaking magazine we can’t comment much about the statistics collected on participants outside of English speaking countries (English being the first language) as our own demographics are still diversifying which means most of our participants were from mostly English speaking countries, with a few exceptions. Over time our audience will diversify and we will be able to focus more on those statistics in our own studies. However, we know from previous studies outside of our organisation and from our own study that non-English speaking countries do lack awareness and understanding of dyspraxia. This is emphasised in the comments we frequently receive from people from those other countries. Most of the participants in our study from non-English (as the first language) speaking countries had not received a formal diagnosis for varying reasons such as cultural and family issues, but most importantly, due to the lack of awareness and availability to a diagnosis.

It is evident that different cultures require an amended diagnosis criterion to match cultural expectations and differences. This is due to how people generally present themselves differently all around the world which will have a huge impact on whether or not someone might receive a dyspraxia diagnosis.