DEFINING DYSPRAXIA
Dyspraxia: is a neurological disorder throughout the brain that results in life-long impaired motor, memory, judgement, processing, and other cognitive skills according to www.dyspraxiausa.org
The exact cause of this neurological disorder is unclear and has never been pin pointed. According to Vaivre-Douret et al. (2011) the cause "seems to be connected with maturational processes in the central nervous system." The term dyspraxia describes an immaturity of the development of organization and sequencing of movement. The nerve cells that control muscles, known as motor neurons, are not developing correctly.
Dyspraxia can be diagnosed by the following professionals; a psychologist, a pediatrician and a registered and licensed occupational therapist.
- A diagnosis is determined when symptoms have been displayed by a child for at least 6 months.
- Professionals are looking for the following key factors: motor skills are below expectations for their age; how the daily activities of the child are impacted; the muscular weakness is not due to another neurological diagnosis, such as cerebral palsy; these factors will present early in the child's life, although diagnosis will not be officially made until around age 5.
Dyspraxia does not affect the person's intelligence or physically strength. Child that has dyspraxia usually have average to above intelligence.
How common is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia is one of the most common diagnoses for school aged children with a prevalence of about 6 to 10 percent showing some signs of the disorder. It is more commonly seen in boys than girls. There are often children as well as adults who show signs of dyspraxia but never receive a diagnosis.
Related conditions: there are a number of conditions that can be present in a child who has a diagnosis of dyspraxia.
- Dyslexia: can make it difficult to read, can affect writing, spelling and saying words expressively. This will cause further issues for the child with dyspraxia who already has fine-motor control issues.
- Dyscalculia: children may have trouble performing simple math problems. A child with dyspraxia may have problem solving issues and following sequences which is an integral part of math and will enhance issues when presented with dyscalculia.
- Dysgraphia: is a deficit in writing. This issue is very different to dyspraxia. But issues such as messy handwriting will appear in both conditions.
- Attention Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): presents as difficulty in concentration, sitting still, impulse control and an understanding of consequences. Children with dyspraxia often display difficulty in concentration and attending to the task for the time needed.
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This short YouTube video provides an overview of what dyspraxia is, and how it can be treated.
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6tplQ3Kac4 |