Difficulties with motor planning are often related to general sequencing difficulties.  If a child is unable to sequence her behavior in response to other people, interaction problems may result.  For instance, when the teacher signals that it is time to sit and be quiet, the child must not only be able to understand the message, she must also be able to respond physically.  She must make her body stop what it is doing, go to a chair, and sit down.  And she must control her movements once she is sitting.  Motor-planning problems can make such a basic sequence difficult.

Complex social interactions among children involve even more subtle types of sequencing of behavior.  Figuring out how to be close to someone without being too close, how to be assertive without being aggressive, how to fool around without appearing belligerent or dangerous—these and other social behaviors involve complex patterns of sequencing.

Creating logical connections between words, ideas, or concepts also involves sequencing capacities.  Frequently, what appear to be attentional or organizing difficulties relate to underlying challenges with sequencing.

Rarely do these problems occur singly.  Almost all children with special needs have problems in two or more systems, and, not surprisingly, the problems compound each other.  Consider a child who is overreactive to touch, has a poor kinesthetic sense, and has motor-planning problems.  When in his effort to cross the playground he accidentally bumps into another child, his reaction is likely to be, “Stop hurting me!  Watch where you’re going!” He doesn’t mean to be passing the blame; he’s just confused about where his body stops and the other child’s begins and about who caused the accident to happen.  In addition, the moderate bump feels severely bruising.  As a result, he sends out this unexpected signal to the other child who may avoid him in the future.  Thus his opportunities to make friends may be gradually undermined.