Dyspraxia

Children who have difficulty with:

• Classroom/education skills
• Fine Motor Skills
• Gross Motor Skills
• Handwriting
• Low Self Esteem
• Self Care
• Sensory Integration
• Visual Perception

Children With Diagnosis:

• Asperger`s Syndrome
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism (ASD)
• Dyspraxia
• Clumsy Child Syndrome
• Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD)
• Developmental Delay
• Learning Disabilities

Children with health difficulties:

• Orthopaedic Issues
• Neurological Conditions
• Rehabilitation (e.g. recovering from surgery, accidents..)
• Children with health issues struggling in school

The most obvious difficulty for a dyspraxic child is that of movement – or motor skills. The child is awkward, clumsy, has difficulty using his/her hands with skill(fine motor) and has difficulty with large movements (gross motor). In combination with movement difficulties, the dyspraxic child often has other problems with organisation, memory, self esteem, stamina, friendships, behaviour and self care.

What is Dyspraxia?

• Dyspraxia is an impairment or immaturity of the organisation  of movement, associated with this can be language, perception or thought dificulties.
• N.A.P.O.T. 1994 Dyspraxia is a significant difficulty with motor co-ordination, given the child’s age and measured intelligence, which cannot be attributed to any other condition. The child’s poor co-ordination interfers with everyday function – handwriting, dressing, games, age appropriate activities.
• DSM IV 2003 Develpomental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD) This is a more specific form of dyspraxia, and covers clumsy children who fit the following criteria:
  1. Performance in daily activities that require motor co-ordination is substantially below that expected, given the patient’s chronological age and measured intelligence.
  2. The disturbance in criteria 1 significantly interfers with academic  achievement or activities of daily living.
  3. Is not due to a medical condition.
  4. If learning difficulties are present, the motor difficulties are in excess of those usually associated with it.

How can I see Dyspraxia in my Child?

• Under 5 years old – Difficulty sitting still, excitable, awkward movements, difficulty in reading a bike and using cutlery, messy eater, avoidance of construction toys (Lego, Jigsaws), slow in self care (cleaning teeth, dressing), difficulty following instructions, poor concentration, reluctance to use a pencil.
• Over 5 years old – Difficulty with handwriting and bicycle riding, very slow in dressing, cannot tie shoelaces, poor listening and concentration, disorganised, difficulty in establishing friendships, appears very awkward in movement, school may be frustrated with the child’s lack of progress and say that he/she needs to “try harder” or is lazy.
• Older Children/Teenagers – Older children/teenagers. Dyspraxia in this age group can be more difficult to spot, as the child has had years to develop avoidance strategies and compensatory techniques.
  At home, he/she may avoid using cutlery, be a fussy eater, be very messy in the bathroom/bedroom, frequently drop things, spills drinks often, be behind in self care skills, need a lot of support from parents.
  At school he/she may produce very little written work or may avoid written work altogether, be very slow/forgetful/disorganised, written work not reflect his/her verbal skills, written work very messy/immature, homework difficulties, missing deadlines,PE avoidance, difficulty using rulers/protractors/science equipment. School may be saying things like – could do better, needs to concentrate, is lazy, he knows the answers but doesn’t  put it on paper.
  Behaviour may be a significant area of concern, such as low self esteem, too quiet, friendship difficulties, easily upset, a loner. The dyspraxic child may also present as the class clown, easily led, disruptive in class, or start to avoid school altogether.

These are not all the signs that can alert you to a child who is Dyspraxic, but are some of the most common concerns reported to us by parents and teachers. The “Dyspraxic Foundation” has a more comprehensive list if you wish to follow that up.

Who Can Diagnose Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia is a medical condition and as such needs to be diagnosed by a health professional. Health professionals who can help you with this are paediatricians, school nurses, physiotherapists or occupational therapists. An educational psychologist’s opinion is very useful regarding educational issues.

If the diagnosis of dyspraxia is made, you need to obtain advice and treatment for your child as dyspraxia is most unlikely to simply “go away” and children do not “grow out of it”.

What can I do about it?

Dyspraxia is a health condition, and CTT strongly recommends that if parents have any concerns about their child, they need to see the school nurse or GP. If you are not satisfied you can ask your GP for a referal to see a Paediatrician.

If your child does have dyspraxia, it is unlikely to simply “go away” and your child is unlikely to “grow out of it”.

Dyspraxia and Higher Education

Dyspraxia is a condition that that does not “go away”. In a child’s formative years treatment, advice, strategies, techniques, equipment and understanding all contribute to assist a student to reach his/her full potential, frequently leading to Higher Education. There are challenges that a dyspraxic student may face in Higher Education, such as living independently, keeping up with written work, reading copious amounts, organisation, time keeping, meeting deadlines, managing finances and so on. If a student has special needs there may be concessions and/or assistance (personal, financial) which can be applied for. Most Higher Education facilities have there own application procedure and you will need to be in touch with the special needs advisor. Generally the dyspraxic student is required to produce recent professional reports and recommendations to support their application for special concessions and/or assistance. An Occupational Therapist is an ideal professional to supply this information, covering all aspects of development and independance.

CTT offers assessment and recommendations in:

• confirmation of diagnosis of dyspraxia
• writing
• writing alternatives (scribe, computing, dictaphone…)
• organisation
• self care
• motor skills (gross and fine)
• safety

If you wish to proceeds with a consultation with CTT please contact us.

Children’s Therapy Team Can help in the following ways

CTT is a limited company, registered with Companies House, Cardiff - Number 6645851

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