Children’s Motor Skills and Coordination: Getting Help in the UK
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In short: If your child finds coordination, handwriting, dressing or sport much harder than others their age, children’s occupational therapists and physiotherapists can assess and help. NHS routes usually start with a GP, health visitor or school. Private therapists must be HCPC registered.
Please read. This is general information from us, not medical, clinical or professional advice. We’re a directory: we don’t provide therapy, we don’t recommend or guarantee any practitioner, and we’re not a crisis service. If you need urgent help, please use the crisis box at the bottom of this page. Services and rules change, so check the official websites linked here.
If You Feel Unsafe
If you need help now. If your life or someone else's is at risk, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental health help in England, use NHS 111 online or call 111 and choose the mental health option. You can talk to Samaritans free, any time, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258. NHS: where to get urgent help for mental health.
When to Ask for Help
Children develop at different rates. It may be worth asking for advice if your child has ongoing difficulty with things like running, catching, balance, using cutlery, buttons or handwriting, or seems unusually clumsy compared with others their age. Some children with these difficulties are later diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also called dyspraxia; a diagnosis is made by a doctor, usually a paediatrician, often with therapists’ input.
NHS and School Routes
Talk to your GP, health visitor or school nurse, and to your child’s school, including the SENCO (special educational needs coordinator). They can refer to NHS children’s therapy services or a paediatrician; in some areas parents can refer directly. Waits vary. In England, schools must make reasonable support available, and you can ask your council about an Education, Health and Care needs assessment if needs are more complex. The charity Dyspraxia Foundation has information for families.
Which Professions Can Help
- Children’s occupational therapists help with fine motor skills such as handwriting, scissors and cutlery, and with self-care like dressing, and suggest changes at home and school.
- Paediatric physiotherapists help with gross motor skills such as balance, walking, running, strength and sport.
- Psychologists and play therapists can help if difficulties are affecting confidence, friendships or mood.
How to Check Registration
Before you book, look the practitioner up yourself on the official register. Psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians and arts therapists must be on the HCPC register to use those titles. Counsellors and psychotherapists are usually on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, such as BACP, UKCP, BPC or NCPS. Psychiatrists are doctors on the GMC register. Our guide to checking a register shows how. On Therapist Circle, each practitioner’s register and number is shown on their profile so you can check it too.
Cost and How to Choose
Private children’s assessments are often longer and priced separately from therapy sessions; ask for a written quote and whether a report is included. Ask about experience with children of your child’s age, whether they can visit school, what goals you will set together, and what practice you can do at home. See questions to ask a child’s therapist.
Find a Registered Practitioner
Search Therapist Circle by profession, then filter by area, online or in person:
Common Questions
Who helps with a child’s handwriting and coordination?
Children’s occupational therapists help with fine motor skills such as handwriting and dressing. Paediatric physiotherapists help with balance, walking and sport.
Do I need a GP referral for children’s OT?
For NHS services, usually a GP, health visitor or school referral, though some areas accept parent referrals. Private OTs can be seen directly.
What is dyspraxia or DCD?
Developmental coordination disorder, also called dyspraxia, affects movement and coordination. It is diagnosed by a doctor, often with therapists’ input.
How do I check a children’s therapist is registered?
Occupational therapists and physiotherapists must be on the HCPC register. Search their name on the HCPC website.
Last updated 4 November 2026. General information only, not medical advice. Check the official websites linked on this page, as services change. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the NHS, the HCPC or any professional body.
Who can help: Psychotherapists: what they do and how to find one · Counsellors: what they do and how to find one · Speech and language therapists: finding one · Find a registered practitioner
Related: Which professional for my child? · Find an occupational therapist · Questions to ask a child’s therapist
Free trusted help: RCOT: what occupational therapy is · NHS: occupational therapy
Mind and feelings: Anxiety · Depression · Trauma · Grief · Psychosis · Arts therapies
Body, communication and daily living: Speech, swallowing and stammering · Stroke recovery · Back and joint pain · Sports injuries · Sensory needs and autism · Children’s motor skills · Daily living · Memory and dementia · Eating and nutrition · IBS
See also: Help for joint hypermobility
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