Understanding dyspraxia

Introduction

Understanding dyspraxia is key to supporting a child or young adult with a diagnosis, or awaiting a diagnosis. It is a layman’s term for Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) which is a neurological condition that affects motor coordination and planning, making everyday tasks challenging for those who have it. This blog explores what dyspraxia is, an introduction to dyspraxia assessments, and a few tips on how to help your child with motor planning difficulties.

What is dyspraxia?

Dyspraxia is a developmental disorder, meaning the symptoms typically emerge during the developmental years, but the impact can last throughout life. It impacts the physical coordination and motor planning abilities of the individual. A person who is dyspraxic can learn how to execute motor skills, but will often need more time and practice than others . They may use a set ‘method’ for execution and have difficulty adapting this to slightly different/altered situations (generalise the skill). They may depend on their vision and/or cognitive skills to help and compensate more than others. Some dyspraxic children (and adults) can be quite skilled at telling others how/what to do to reach their goal. Dyspraxia does not affect a person’s intellectual ability but can rather be seen as a difficulty with the ‘bridge’ between knowing what to do and actually doing it.

A child’s development of their touch (tactile), movement (vestibular) and body sense (proprioception) are key factors that help a child to develop a sense of their body, understanding where there body is in space, as well as the properties of objects they need to manipulate. These are foundational skills that contribute to a person’s ability to motor plan and execute motor actions. Other aspects that may also contribute to a child’s difficulty with motor skills include postural control, visual perception, cognitive understanding of a task, and emotional state/development.

Understanding the presentation of dyspraxia

People with dyspraxia may present with the following:

Gross motor skills: May experience difficulty with tasks that include running, jumping, and balancing skills. They may dislike or avoid participating in sport or other physical activities.

Fine motor skills: Often takes longer to learn motor skills, and some skills may consistently be difficult e.g. writing, typing, using utensils, or buttoning clothes.

Execution of tasks: May appear clumsy, awkward or inefficient.

Organisational skills: Difficulty managing time or following complex instructions.

Task preference: May prefer to do the same activities rather than try new ones.

Natural leader: May appear ‘bossy’ as a way to use cognitive skills to compensate for difficulties by telling others what to do.

Spatial awareness: Trouble with depth perception and navigation in space.

Higher rate of accidents: May have a tendency to trip over things, bump into things, resulting in bruises or sometimes more serious injuries.

Speech: Some individuals may also experience speech and language difficulties. This can be linked to their motor coordination of the muscles in the face and neck needed to coordinate speech (and eating).

Tips to support your dyspraxic child

Now that you have a greater understanding of dyspraxia, you can consider which of the following tips will be most useful to try to support your child/young person at home:

Remember that motor tasks are exhausting for your child. They require a lot more conscious attention than a skill that is automatic. Remember to give your child sufficient breaks.

Praise the effort and not the outcome. Be aware that they know when they have succeeded. Praising an outcome that is not what the child hoped for, may evoke feelings of frustration and anger.

Break tasks down into small steps. Use visual support so that the child does not need to depend on their working memory to help remember all the detail.

Self-directed movement is key to help the child develop motor skills. Be patient and give them the time needed.

Carefully plan the time of day when you want your child to practice new motor skills. When there is a time pressure, tiredness or dysregulation (adults and/or children), it is probably not the best time!

‘Let’s try’ is a phrase that gives room for failure and may be helpful to give a child/adolescent the needed encouragement to attempt a more difficult task.

Work on imitation games such as ‘follow the leader’, or ‘Simon says’.

Use movement, rhythm and anticipation, in an engaging and fun manner during play to give natural opportunities for skill development.

Understanding dyspraxia assessments

Diagnosing dyspraxia involves a comprehensive evaluation. It may include professionals such as paediatricians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists or clinical/educational psychologists. Early intervention is key as the sooner a person is assessed, the sooner targeted support (such as occupational therapy or physical coordination exercises) can be put in place.

A diagnosis is made by professionals who are skilled in recognising the motor difficulties associated with the condition. The symptoms should not be confused with simple clumsiness or immaturity, as dyspraxia is a specific disorder that affects motor planning and coordination in a way that is consistent, pervasive, and developmentally inappropriate.

The Gesher Assessment Centre offers multidisciplinary dyspraxia assessments for children, adolescents and young adults (age 5 to 18) with our specialist team. Information about the cost of a dyspraxia assessment is available here. Book a free initial consultation or find out more by contacting us.