 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There have been many definitions of Dyspraxia. In the past these children were referred to as Clumsy but thankfully this term is no longer being used. Dyspraxia is a medical term for 'difficulty in planning and carrying out complex movements'. The term is used to describe children who have difficulty in daily activities that require co-ordination of movements which are out of proportion to the child's age and intelligence. The equivalent American term is Developmental Co-ordination Disorder. Some children may have Dyspraxia tendencies when some but not all of the difficulties are found which are commonly associated with Dyspraxia.
Other Names. Clumsy Child Syndrome, Perceptuo-motor Dysfunction, Minimal Brain Dysfunction, Motor Learning Difficulty.
Movement.Gross and fine motor skills are hard to learn, difficult to retain and generalise, and hesitant and awkward in performance.
Language.Articulation may be immature or even unintelligible in early years. Language may be impaired or late to develop.
Perception.There is a poor understanding of the messages that the senses convey and difficulty in relating those messages to actions.
Thought.Dyspraxic children of normal intelligence may have great difficulty in planning and organising thoughts. Those with moderate learning difficulties may have these problems to a greater extent.
For most children there is no known cause, although it is thought to be an immaturity of neurone development in the brain rather than brain damage. Dyspraxic children have no clinical neurological abnormality to explain their condition. Frequently these children have no other underlying signs to account for their difficulties.
A child may be experiencing a number of the following problems:
- poor writing and drawing abilities
- dislikes games, apparatus, and playing outside
- poor at ball activities -catching -tendency to be a loner
- dislikes games, apparatus, and playing outside
- messy eating and drinking
- slow or poor at dressing
- cannot or was late in riding a bicycle
- has poor concentration
- falls a lot - has a lot bruises on legs
- may be disruptive in the classroom
- poor ability to stand on one leg - clowns around
- poor ability to hop or jump - has difficulty with dictation
- has difficulty copying text from a book/blackboard
Pre-school:
Talk to your G.P. and Health Visitor. A referral should be made to a paediatrician or a child development centre. Assessment can then be made by a psychologist, physiotherapist, speech therapist and occupational therapist as is deemed appropriate.
School-Age Children:
Talk to your G.P., School Nurse or School Doctor (appointments can be made through the school or local healtlh centre), teacher or year tutor as appropriate. For further information refer to the DfEE"Special Educational Needs: A Guide for Parents" obtainable from the DfEE by telephoning 0171925 5000. Hospital referral may be required for special tests or treatment.
Prognosis is usually hopeful in that, although Dyspraxia is not curable, the child will improve in some areas with growing maturity. He/she can be helped to a large extent with the appropriate treatment and suitable leisure facilities to overcome the continuing problems which he/she will undoubtedly face.
These children may have other problems such as with writing, reading, spelling and with speech.
