Dyspraxia at a glanceDyspraxia (also known as developmental coordination disorder – DCD) is a surprisingly common condition affecting movement and coordination in children and adults. It is a hidden condition which is still poorly understood.
Dyspraxia affects all areas of life, making it difficult for people to carry out activities that others take for granted. Signs of dyspraxia/DCD are present from a young age but may not be recognised until a child starts school – or even later in adulthood.
Dyspraxia is part of the Dys family of difficulties (dys- meaning difficulty) which include:
Dyslexia (difficulties with words, spelling, reading comprehension)
Dyspraxia (difficulties with fine and gross motor skills)
Dysgraphia (difficulties with fine motor skills)
Dyscalculia (difficulties with number concepts)
Signs of dyspraxia/DCDEach person’s experience of dyspraxia/DCD is different and will be affected by a person’s age, the opportunities they have had to learn skills, environmental demands and the support/understanding shown by people around them. There are, however, some common signs of dyspraxia/DCD.
MovementDifficulty coordinating large and small body movements is the main feature of dyspraxia/DCD. Physical signs of dyspraxia/DCD include the following:
Movements appear awkward and lack smoothness
Extra physical and mental effort is required to carry out movements that others manage easily
Poor spatial awareness means more trips, bumps and bruises.
Difficulty learning the movements required to carry out new practical tasks.
Difficulty transferring motor skills to new situations or activities.
Organisation and planning
Many people with dyspraxia/DCD have difficulty organising themselves, their equipment and their thoughts. Some also experience problems with attention, memory and time management. Many adults with dyspraxia/DCD say these difficulties present more of a challenge in their daily lives than their underlying movement difficulties.
Speech and languageSome people with dyspraxia/DCD have difficulty keeping up with conversations and there may be long, awkward pauses before they respond to a question or comment.
People with verbal dyspraxia have severe and persistent difficulty coordinating the precise movements required to produce clear speech. It is possible to have verbal dyspraxia on its own or alongside other movement difficulties associated with dyspraxia/DCD.
How many people are affected?Dyspraxia/DCD affects around 5% of school-aged children. Around 2% of children are more severely affected.
Difficulties continue into adolescence and adulthood in most cases. Males are more likely to be affected by dyspraxia/DCD than females, but females are often older when their difficulties are identified.
Although dyspraxia/DCD is a unique and separate condition people will often (but not always) have another diagnosis too. Identifying dyspraxia/DCD early means that a person’s physical, learning, social and emotional needs can be identified, and support provided to help them reach their potential.
What causes dyspraxia/DCD?Dyspraxia/DCD is the result of a disruption in the way that messages are passed between the brain and the body. The cause of this disruption is not yet clear although being born early, having a low birth weight and a family history of coordination difficulties increases the likelihood of someone having the condition. Dyspraxia/DCD is not caused by brain damage, illness or injury.
In most cases, the cause of a person’s dyspraxia/DCD is not known. It’s likely that there isn’t one single reason to explain why a person’s movement skills are not as well developed as their abilities in other areas.
Possible StrengthsSome researchers have suggested that those with dyspraxia may have strengths in the following areas:
Creativity
Strategic thinking
Good problem solving
Eye for detail
Good long-term memory
Signs of Dyspraxia in Younger ChildrenPre-School age children with dyspraxia may display the following signs:
Lateness in reaching developmental milestones: rolling over, sitting, standing, walking, and speaking.
An inability to run, hop, jump, or catch or kick a ball, even though their peers can.
Difficulty with keeping friends or knowing how to behave in company.
Little understanding of concepts like ‘in’, ‘on’, or ‘in front of’.
Difficulties in walking up and down stairs.
Poor pencil grip.
An inability to do jigsaws and shape sorting games.
An immature level of artwork for their age.
A school age child:
Experiences the same problems as the pre-school child with dyspraxia, with little or no improvement.
Under-performs in class but performs better on a one-to-one basis.
Has a short attention span.
Has trouble with maths and writing structured stories.
Finds it difficult to copy from the whiteboard.
Writes immaturely or with difficulty.
Is unable to remember or follow instructions.
Has poor organisation.
Signs of Dyspraxia in TeensThis is a time of change: physically, emotionally, and educationally. For a child with dyspraxia, encountering these changes and trying to transition from primary to secondary school is a difficult process.
As a result, teens with dyspraxia may:
Display disruptive behaviour to try and hide their frustration and low self-esteem.
Continue to get lost around the school building.
Forget their homework, teachers’ names, and class location.
Be isolated and not have many friends.
Suffer from bullying as other students begin to realise they’re ‘different’.
Have difficulty writing or typing.
Avoid PE and sports activities.
Talk too loudly or too softly in class.
Strategies to help a dyspraxic child
Provide breaks. Students with dyspraxia should receive the opportunity to pause what they’re doing and have a break every so often. Even just walking around for a couple of minutes can help to improve concentration when they return to their desk.
Consider alternatives to writing. Writing things down can be frustrating for a dyspraxic child and can make it difficult to keep up. Design activities that reduce the need for writing, such as providing fill in the blank exercises, matching exercises, or producing printed notes in advance. If the child displays good typing skills, allow them to type up their class notes and homework.
Re-consider materials. Children with dyspraxia typically find it easier to write by applying a rubber grip to their stationary or using a wider pen or pencil. Your paper should always be lined (to act as a writing guide) and you should provide pens that are less likely to smudge.
Be clear. Your directions and expectations should always be clear. Go over your instructions a few times to the dyspraxic child to ensure they sink in. Write your instructions down so the student can refer back to them, but be sure to write in short and clear sentences. Consider also creating a checklist so the student can tick something off when they’ve done it.
Be prepared to help. Children with dyspraxia struggle to use their fine motor skills, so activities like cutting, sticking, and folding are especially difficult. If your lesson involves these activities, provide plenty of help.
Use written and visual aids as much as possible. Use formatting to draw attention to important points, such as bolding. Break down text into manageable chunks through the use of bullet points and images. Furthermore, look into using audio books for some reading materials. This eases the pressure of reading and processing and saves mental resources for completing work instead.
Dyspraxia treatmentFor some children, symptoms resolve on their own as they age. That’s not the case for most children, though.
There’s no cure for dyspraxia. However, with the right therapies, people with dyspraxia can learn to manage symptoms and improve their abilities.
Because it’s different for everybody, treatment must be tailored to individual needs. The treatment plan will depend on a number of factors. The severity of your child’s symptoms and other coexisting conditions are key to finding the right programs and services.Some of the healthcare professionals you may work with are:
Behaviour analysts. Behaviour analysts are trained in the science of behaviour. A type of therapy called applied behaviour analysis (ABA) can help improve social and self-help skills, communication, and independence through positive reinforcement strategies tailored to the individual’s needs.
Occupational therapists. Occupational therapists can help people learn new ways of doing things and to reach specific goals regarding performance of everyday activities.
Paediatric specialists. These paediatricians specialise in a specific area of children’s health. For example, a developmental-behavioural paediatrician has advanced training in medical and psychosocial aspects of child and adolescent development.
Physical therapists. Physical therapists use hands-on care and education to help people improve movement and exercise.
Psychologists. Psychologists can help with a variety of issues, such as stress management, coping skills, and overall mental health.
Speech and language therapists. Speech and language therapists work with people who have difficulty making certain sounds, stuttering, and other communication problems.
Some children do well with minor interventions. Others need more intense therapies to show improvement. Whatever therapies you choose, they can be adjusted along the way. Your healthcare team can help identify problem areas. Then they can work on breaking tasks down into manageable pieces.
With regular practice, your child can learn how to better manage tasks, such as:
tying shoes or self-dressing
using eating utensils properly
using the toilet
walking, running, and playing
organising an approach to schoolwork
At Edge Grove we have many children with dyspraxia type difficulties, and this may be part of other needs. We support awareness and understanding, along with use of pencil grips, special shaped pens, and writing slopes. Our PE department supports changing for games by allowing extra time, as we know this can be a stressful time for children with dyspraxia type difficulties.
