Roy Moller was more worried than most fathers about handling his baby son. He suffers from a condition called dyspraxia, sometimes dubbed "clumsy child syndrome", which affects his physical co-ordination skills. He finds simple tasks, like folding clothes neatly, impossible.

"When I first found out I was going to become a father I was extremely concerned about it," he says. "Luckily these days with disposable nappies you are using velcro. It is much, much easier than using a safety pin."

By focusing all his attention on seven-month-old Peter, Mr Moller, from Glasgow, has discovered he is able to cope, but in many other areas of his life, his condition has thrown up barriers.

He was only diagnosed only three years ago, yet at school his struggle with physical challenges was so pronounced teachers sometimes excluded him.

Mr Moller, 45, says: "I remember when the whole school was taken to an artificial ski slope and I was told by the teacher I was not going because I would be a danger to myself and other pupils. That must have been when I was 10 or 11."

He wishes he had understood why he struggled in the gym hall while his peers thrived. "I felt different," he says. "Having an explanation for that would certainly have helped."

According to experts, there are references to dyspraxia in medical literature dating from the 1950s and 60s, yet still little is known about it today.

The condition has a new name, developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) and health professionals say children are increasingly being referred to them with the problem, yet there is a dearth of information about how they should treat them.

In response to their calls the body which monitors health service standards in Scotland - NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) - has just published a report looking at how best to help children and their families. It says: "To date, no synthesised evidence in DCD has been available in Scotland to support and identify therapeutic intervention and practice."

This perhaps explains why the assistance available for diagnosed children seems little better now than it was in Mr Moller's schooldays.

Fiona Leishman is the mother of a 12-year-old boy in Edinburgh who was diagnosed with dyslexia aged seven and dyspraxia aged nine. She says: "At school he started getting support for his dyslexia but the dyspraxia was totally ignored and when I spoke to physical education staff they weren't helpful and seemed to think he was just not willing to participate or being lazy.

"For three years, from the age of eight to 11, it was extremely difficult for my son. Like many children with DCD, he is bright but the lack of understanding by teaching staff, the bullying of his peers who frequently called him stupid, made him extremely frustrated and angry. Games and break time were particularly difficult as his inability to play sports made him very much at the bottom of the school playground pecking order."

With the help of learning support teachers, Ms Leishman's son now reads books which are advanced for his years, but she says he has received virtually no assistance to cope with his DCD. She continues: "The occupational therapist who diagnosed his balance and co-ordination difficulties was excellent but due to lack of resources could not provide the level of support he required."

The lack of help for children with dyspraxia has serious implications as they grow up. Mr Moller spent eight years working in a call centre where apart from his struggle with organisational skills, the level of background noise made it hard for him to concentrate. For others the impact is even more damaging.

Professor Kirsty Forsyth, a professor of occupational therapy at Queen Margaret University who worked on the NHS QIS document, says: "There have been one or two long-term studies that have shown that a large proportion of children with DCD by the time they are 21 have certain social challenges - being unemployed, getting into drugs, having mental health problems. So the long-term consequences of not managing the difficulties really is quite significant."

However, there are success stories. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the films, admitted he suffers from dyspraxia. During an interview he explained his mother let him go to his first audition because she could see his confidence needed a boost.

He said: "I was having a hard time at school in terms of being c**p at everything, with no discernible talent."

Sheena Wannan, who is working with Mr Moller to set up a Scottish charity for dyspraxic adults, has also found her niche.

She is one of the few top grade interviewers at a research organisation. As she can work from home she avoids some of the issues she encountered in busy offices where she struggled with tasks such as filing papers.

As she struggles with housework, she has employed cleaners, who also do odd jobs.

Her dyspraxia was not diagnosed until she was 50 and a mature student, although she had guessed after reading articles in magazines. .

Raising awareness of the condition, perhaps by placing posters in GP surgeries, is one of her top requests of the NHS. It is also the first message in the NHS QIS report. It says: "With a greater awareness of DCD within our communities, there may be greater tolerance and positive action to support the child."

It also makes sensible recommendations for health professionals - such as assessing patients' motor skills when they are at school or in their own home rather than just inside the clinic and setting goals for them in conjunction with education staff.

Perhaps most importantly though, NHS QIS says it will seek to launch a pilot where the good practice they outline is fully implemented. This centre will then serve as a "demonstration site" for Scotland.

Warning signs Signs of developmental co-ordination disorder - or dyspraxia - in children include: Difficulty dressing - problems include placing clothing on backwards and trouble with buttons, socks and shoelaces. Difficulty eating - including spills, pouring and using utensils. Difficulty toileting - problems include accidents and difficulty managing clothing afterwards. Difficulty with colouring, cutting and handwriting. Resistance to homework or spending an excessive amount of time on homework. Gap between level of verbal communication and writing ability. Avoidance of sports, particularly ball games and team activities, for fear of getting injured. Trouble learning to ride a bike and a preference for sedentary activities. Frustration, lack of friends, being bullied and difficulty initiating and maintaining play.