'Harry Potter' star suffers from dyspraxia

LONDON, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Daniel Radcliffe, the 19-year-old British star of the “Harry Potter� movies, says he has dyspraxia, a brain disorder associated with clumsiness.

Radcliffe, preparing to make his Broadway debut in the play “Equus,� told the Daily Mail last weekend his disorder makes it hard from him to do simple things such as tie his shoelaces.

“I sometimes think, ‘Why, oh why, has Velcro not taken off?’� Radcliffe jokingly told the newspaper, adding that his condition was partly responsible for his decision to go into acting because it prevented him from becoming successful at other things in school.

The newspaper said the neurological problem is common and affects the organization of movement. It can touch many areas of development, including intellectual, physical and language, and can hurt normal learning processes.

The British newspaper said Radcliffe’s dyspraxia is at the mild end of the spectrum, but when severe cases strike it can make it difficult to perform such simple tasks as walking up and down stairs or running.