Dyspraxia Learning Disability

Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is refers to difficulties with coordination and the organization of movements. People with Dyspraxia have difficulty planning and completing intended fine motor tasks. It is estimated that as many as 6% of all children show some signs of Dyspraxia, and in the general population, about 70% of those affected by Dyspraxia are male. They have particular difficulties with complex tasks that require a high level of coordination.

The term dyspraxia in the Greek "dys" means bad and "praxis", means action .Dyspraxia is usually apparent in childhood that manifests as difficulty in thinking out, planning out, and executing planned movements or tasks. Dyspraxia can affect different areas of functioning, varying from simple motor tasks such as waving goodbye to more complex tasks like brushing teeth.


The Dyspraxia younger persons will have delayed motor milestones such as crawling, walking, and jumping. Older persons may present with academic problems such as difficulty with reading and writing or with playing ball games.

Developmental verbal Dyspraxia (DVD), a type of Dyspraxia, can manifest as early as infancy with feeding problems. Children with DVD may display delays in expressive language, difficulty in producing speech, reduced intelligibility of speech, and inconsistent production of familiar words.


Symptoms of Dyspraxia

· poor balance and coordination

    vision problems
    perceptual problems
    poor spatial awareness
    poor posture
    poor short-term memory
    difficulty planning motor tasks
    difficulty with reading, writing, and speech
    emotional and behavioral problems
    poor social skills

Oral Dyspraxia

Oral Dyspraxia is a difficulty with planning and executing non-speech sounds, such as blowing, sucking or individual tongue and lip movements. This may indirectly affect speech and swallowing skills.

Verbal Dyspraxia

Verbal Dyspraxia is a speech disorder that affects the programming, sequencing and initiating of movements required to make speech sounds.

Motor Dyspraxia

Motor Dyspraxia is a difficulty in planning, sequencing and then executing the correct movement to perform age appropriate skills in a smooth and coordinated manner at will or on command.

Dyspraxia Diagnosis

The diagnosis of Dyspraxia is based on observation of a person’s symptom and on results of standardized tests. Findings from a neurological or neurodevelopment evaluation may also be used to confirm a suspected diagnosis. The process of making a diagnosis of Dyspraxia can be complex for a number of reasons. Dyspraxia may affect many different body functions, it can occur as a part of another syndrome, and symptoms of Dyspraxia overlap with similar disorders such as dyslexia.

There is no cure to Dyspraxia, however early intervention can help a person learn to deal with his or her difficulties. Depending on the severity of the disability, work with occupational, speech and physical therapists can greatly improve a person's ability to function and succeed independently.

Beginning at an early age, it is vital that parents offer their child patience and encouragement. It can be very frustrating to have difficulty communicating or moving, and a parent can ease that frustration by offering help and support in overcoming these difficulties.

All people with Dyspraxia need help practicing simple tasks and can benefit from step-by-step progress into more complex activities. Encouraging easy physical activities that develop coordination can increase confidence. It is also important to encourage friendships to broaden a person's experience and understanding of social relationships.