"He Bumps Into Everything"
Bumping into things does not, on its own, tell you why. The NHS lists bumping into things among the ways a child with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) may appear. It adds that this alone is not necessarily a sign of DCD (NHS, 2023). Call your child's doctor promptly about bruising that comes easily or for no reason.
TL;DR
- A child who bumps into things is showing you a behavior. The behavior alone does not tell you why.
- The NHS describes how a child with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) may appear (NHS, 2023). It says they may bump into things, drop things and fall over a lot. The NHS adds that this alone is not necessarily a sign of DCD. It says many children who seem clumsy have normal movement skills for their age.
- In our view, if coordination worries you, raise it with your child's doctor. Experts from many countries wrote joint advice on DCD (Blank and colleagues, 2019). That advice says the medical check looks at the senses, including vision. Ask whether your child's eyes have been checked recently.
- In our view, bruises from bumps are expected in an active child. Bruising that comes easily, or for no reason, is different. An NHS page lists it as a reason for an urgent doctor's appointment (NHS, 2023). If you see bruising like that, call your child's doctor promptly.
- Movement is worth building into a child's week for its own sake. What it is established to improve is movement. That means coordination, motor skill and body awareness. Movement builds movement, and on its own it has not been shown to build reading or writing. In our view, find movement your child enjoys. We hold no study of whether practice stops a child bumping into things.
What bumping into things can tell you
A child who bumps into things is showing you a behavior. The behavior alone does not tell you why.
Nothing on this page rules anything in or out, and we are not able to.
What the NHS says about bumping
DCD stands for developmental coordination disorder.
The NHS describes how a child with DCD may appear (NHS, 2023). It says they may bump into things, drop things and fall over a lot. The NHS adds that this alone is not necessarily a sign of DCD. It says many children who seem clumsy have normal movement skills for their age.
We hold no figure for how often bumping turns out to be DCD.
Our rule is to describe patterns on these pages. We do not put a name on a child.
We explain the words DCD and dyspraxia on a page of their own.
Who to ask about coordination
In our view, if coordination worries you, raise it with your child's doctor.
The NHS page on DCD says families may be referred to an occupational therapist (NHS, 2023). It also names a children's doctor.
Experts from many countries wrote joint advice on DCD (Blank and colleagues, 2019). That advice says the medical check looks at the senses, including vision. Ask whether your child's eyes have been checked recently.
When a bruise needs the doctor
In our view, bruises from bumps are expected in an active child. Bruising that comes easily, or for no reason, is different. An NHS page lists it as a reason for an urgent doctor's appointment (NHS, 2023). If you see bruising like that, call your child's doctor promptly.
Movement at home
Movement is worth building into a child's week for its own sake. What it is established to improve is movement. That means coordination, motor skill and body awareness. Movement builds movement, and on its own it has not been shown to build reading or writing.
In our view, find movement your child enjoys.
We hold no study of whether practice stops a child bumping into things.
If your child has lost a skill
Some children could do something and now cannot. That is different from a child who has not built the skill yet. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Schoolwork well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about learning.
- Extreme upset about schoolwork.
- Complete avoidance of school or learning.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
If a student often bumps into things, tell the family what you see.
Two sentences for an email home: "She often bumps into desks and doorways at school. Do you see this at home?"
Tonight, write down each bump you see, and where it happened. This is a record, not a test. In our view, if coordination worries you, take the note to your child's doctor.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
An overview of processing skills. Our work on each runs alongside reading, spelling or math instruction, not in place of it.
Common questions from parents
My child bumps into furniture all the time. Why?
A child who bumps into things is showing you a behavior. The behavior alone does not tell you why. DCD stands for developmental coordination disorder. The NHS describes how a child with DCD may appear (NHS, 2023). It says they may bump into things, drop things and fall over a lot. The NHS adds that this alone is not necessarily a sign of DCD. It says many children who seem clumsy have normal movement skills for their age.
My child is always covered in bruises. Should I worry?
In our view, bruises from bumps are expected in an active child. Bruising that comes easily, or for no reason, is different. An NHS page lists it as a reason for an urgent doctor's appointment (NHS, 2023). If you see bruising like that, call your child's doctor promptly. In our view, if coordination worries you, raise it with your child's doctor.
How can I help a child with poor body awareness?
Movement is worth building into a child's week for its own sake. What it is established to improve is movement. That means coordination, motor skill and body awareness. Movement builds movement, and on its own it has not been shown to build reading or writing. In our view, find movement your child enjoys. We hold no study of whether practice stops a child bumping into things. In our view, if coordination worries you, raise it with your child's doctor.
More in What you notice at home
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- "He Can't Sit Still"
- "He Forgets Everything I Say"
- "He Only Hears Me When I'm Right in Front of Him"
- "He Reads It But Doesn't Remember It"
- "He Talks Constantly But Won't Answer Questions"
- "He Was Fine Until Third or Fourth Grade"
- "He Won't Write Anything Down"