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Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia – also known as developmental co-ordination disorder - is a condition in which individuals have difficulties carrying out daily activities that require co-ordination of movements. It is thought to be around three or four times more common in males than females

Symptoms of dyspraxia will be present from an early age: milestones such as crawling, walking and self-feeding may be delayed and drawing, writing and performance in sports may be behind what is expected for that age. However, since development is inherently a personal process, dyspraxia isn't really diagnosed until a child is five years or older. A diagnosis is usually made after an evaluation by several health professionals, such as physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, an educational psychologist and so on.

Carrying out co-ordinated movements involves many parts of the brain and nerve pathways and so any problems with these processes could potentially lead to issues with movement and co-ordination. It isn't usually clear why development isn't as strong in dyspraxics, but a number of risk factors have been identifies:

- Being born prematurely, i.e. before the 37th week of pregnancy.

- Being born with a low birth weight.

- Having a family history of dyspraxia – although a specific gene has not been identified.

- A women drinking/taking drugs whilst pregnant.

There isn't a cure for dyspraxia, but therapy can be implemented to make it easier for problems to be managed:

- Difficult movements can be broken down into smaller parts and practiced regularly – this can be taught.

- Adapting tasks to make them easier – such as grips on pens/pencils to make them easier to hold.

Dyspraxia doesn't affect intelligence, but can make it harder for things to be learnt and so extra help may be needed in an academic environment.

Physical co-ordination will always be a problem, but may become less of a problem as someone gets older. Adults with dyspraxia may also have social and emotional difficulties as well as issues with time management, planning and personal organisation.

Note: The term DCD is generally used more by professionals as dyspraxia can have different meanings – for example, it may be used to describe movement difficulties faced by those who have had strokes in later life.

Tips for dealing with dyspraxia:

- use a calendar or diary to improve your organisation – synchronise this with your phone and computer if possible

- learn how to talk positively about your challenges and how you have overcome them

- learn how to use a computer or laptop if writing by hand is difficult

- seek out support through programmes – there is lots of help available online.

Thanks for reading.