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Children
with Special Needs -> Dyspraxia Help for Parents
There are muscles
in the human body whose specific function is to aid children
in developing speaking skills. Difficulty to control these
muscles could affect a child's correct pronunciation ability.
This difficulty is known as dyspraxia.
Dyspraxia Defined
- A normal
person's ability to speak is achieved by quick and precise
movements of the very small muscles in the cheeks, lips,
tongue, teeth, and soft palate (sometimes referred to
as the roof of the mouth). These small muscles should
be moved at the right place in the right time to produce
sounds.
- Dyspraxia
occurs when sounds are sounds come out inconsistently
and with difficulty, words are formed by the mouth without
sound, and words are incorrectly pronounced.
- An average
of 15 varied sounds are possible per second during normal
speech.
- There is
variation in the usage of term for this speech difficulty.
Although dyspraxia is the most commonly used term, other
speech pathologists call it "developmental apraxia of
speech" and "developmental verbal apraxia."
- Children
suffering from dyspraxia may also suffer difficulties
in attaining balance, motor coordination or body movement,
and distinguish where their bodies are in space. They
may also have difficulties in writing and reading.
- Dyspraxia
is also a term that could be used not only for speech
difficulty conditions. It could generally refer to difficulty
in controlling and planning the movements of other muscles
in the human body.
Symptoms
of Dyspraxia
A child with
dyspraxia generally displays the following characteristics:
- When they
try to talk fast, the sounds or words that come out of
their mouth are incoherent and could not be easily understood,
particularly to listeners who have a vague idea of what
the child is talking about.
- They have
a harder time talking to someone they do not know and
become anxious in the thought of having to speak to that
person.
- When speaking
at a normal rate, they have difficulty making out certain
sounds of speech.
- They could
make out a particular sound or word at one time and have
difficulty with the same sound or word the next time they
use it.
- When they
notice that a person has difficulty in understanding the
sound of words coming out of their mouths, they tend to
say very little from that point on. They become cautious
and may even abruptly stop speaking. This is due to fear
of being ridiculed and having their disability noticed.
However, a
child with dyspraxia has normal comprehension for his
age of what others are saying. The child also uses the
same words normally used by other children of his age.
Causes of
Dyspraxia
- The cause
of dyspraxia remains unknown. What is certain is that
it is not a result of "brain damage."
- A child's
dyspraxia may be hereditary.
- Dyspraxia
is often related to such problems as Down's Syndrome,
reading difficulty, developmental delay, and other learning
disorders.
- According
to research, children who stutter and children who suffer
from dyspraxia have similar causes of their speech difficulties.
- Children
with dyspraxia do not exhibit difficulty in comprehension
and thinking.
Dyspraxia
Related Difficulties
- Children
with dyspraxia often have difficulty controlling muscles
other than those related to speech. This is manifested
in their mild clumsiness.
- Sometimes,
spelling and reading are difficult also for children with
dyspraxia.
- Certain behavior
difficulties are sometimes a result of dyspraxia. This
is because some children display anger and aggression
when others fail to understand what they are saying. Other
children become withdrawn and use "standard answers",
rather than risk being ridiculed or misunderstood. These
standard answers include "I don't know", and vigorously
shaking one's head or shrugging off their shoulders.
- Drooling
or dribbling longer than usual is related to dyspraxia.
- During infancy,
children with dyspraxia have problems in their intake
of solid food. This is because eating uses different tongue
and palate movements, as compared to breast-feeding and
bottle-feeding.
Possible
Therapies for Dyspraxia
- An occupational
therapist may be needed for those children who suffer
difficulties in such motor tasks as writing, drawing,
cutting, etc.
- Children
who suffer severe dyspraxia are advised to use hand signs
as a temporary way of communicating
- Children
who have abundant support often overcome their dyspraxia.
- Another therapy
is for these kids to practice listening to the words they
say and making out the sounds. This is because most children
with dyspraxia are not even aware that they are omitting
some sounds when they speak. They have a tendency not
to listen carefully to their uttered words.
- Speech pathologists
usually use the "Motor Skill Training Approach" in helping
children with dyspraxia. This involves making sounds in
a rapid and accurate manner. This is because children
with dyspraxia have difficulty putting sound into speech
at a normal rate. They do not have problems eventually
making these sounds, but they have to struggle with timing
and easily making the sound.
How Can
You Help?
The most important
thing for a child with dyspraxia is to make him or her
feel good just for the mere fact that he or she is trying
to talk.
- Always acknowledge
a child's achievement when he has said something clearly
and successfully.
- Be patient.
Your child might not be able to come out with the correct
sound of a word when he speaks every time he uses the
same word. This is because the child has no full control
over his ability to make sounds.
- If you understand
what your child meant to say even if the sounds made out
were unclear, answer his question or expound his topic.
Then repeat what he has said using the proper sounds.
This is so that the child could clearly hear the correct
sound of the words. It also reassures him that you understood
what he is trying to say.
- Be your child's
interpreter when you can understand what he is saying
when others have a hard time. This is to avoid the buildup
of frustration on your child's part.
- Give them
rewards for a job well done. These rewards should not
be limited to material things, like food. Your praise
for their efforts is very effective.
- Your child
needs your enthusiasm in order to enjoy a therapy recommended
by speech pathologists. Practice this therapy with your
child with vim and vigor.
- Most children
with dyspraxia rely on hand signs to make sure that they
are understood even if they are not able to speak clearly.
Be sure to understand these signs. This helps build their
morale by letting them know that they are understood.
You do not have to make hand signs when talking to them
because children with dyspraxia can understand what is
said to them well.
- Frustration
and aggression hampers your child's ability to learn.
So, never give him a difficult time by refusing to answer
him unless he says the words clearly.
Children
with Special Needs -> Dyspraxia Help for Parents
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