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What is Dyspraxia ?

As a result, the person suffers difficulty in forming ideas, planning, and executing body movements. Many physical activities become a struggle to learn and retain. And when they finally perform these actions, it is often clumsy and awkward in execution.

Dyspraxia can affect a person in various ways. It could occur during the different stages of physical, emotional, intellectual, social, language, and sensory development. It impairs the normal learning process. How a person is affected by dyspraxia varies, too. One day, a specific physical movement is easy to perform, but becomes a very difficult task the next day.

Dyspraxia is commonly defined as an immaturity or impairment of organizing movements. Problems of language, thought, and perception are usually related to dyspraxia.

What causes dyspraxia?

There is often no obvious cause for dyspraxia. However, brain injuries, improper cellular development while in the womb, and shortage of oxygen during birth are listed as probable causes. Dyspraxia could occur later in life, after a person suffers from brain damage due to stroke, accident, or illness.

What are the recognizable signs of dyspraxia?

During the early formative years, a child suffering from dyspraxia may have difficulty learning to walk, run, and jump. Walking up and down a flight of stairs and dressing up is not easy for them, too. Developing the ability to speak is very slow for these kids. They are prone to unintelligible and incomprehensible speech. In worse cases, the child's ability to speak may be permanently impaired.

When the child goes to school, mathematics and writing stories are often very difficult. Poor handwriting is among the most prevalent signs of dyspraxia. Others common symptoms include the following: short attention span, disorganization, inability to tie shoelaces, tendency to avoid games, and slowness in dressing themselves up.

During their adult years, routine tasks become very difficult for them to perform. Driving, riding bicycles, personal grooming, and certain household chores are a cause for constant struggle. They walk in a clumsy manner and encounter problems with sports, especially those that involve the usage of bats. They often bail out of work or things that are hard for them to do.

What else should you know about dyspraxia?

Children with dyspraxia seem to appear normal like other children, which is why it is often considered a hidden problem. Up to ten percent (10%) of the general population are afflicted with dyspraxia. Around two percent (2%) of these are classified as very severe cases. Males are four times more prone to suffer from dyspraxia than their female counterparts. Dyspraxia could be hereditary.

How is dyspraxia cured?

There is no possible cure for dyspraxia, but those affected can still achieve their full potential after overcoming their difficulties. Therapy is a good way of alleviating dyspraxia. Speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, specialist teachers, and psychologists could be relied upon to help patients with dyspraxia. The specialists needed for therapy could vary, depending on the specific problem needs. A set of activities and exercises are given by these therapists to help patients in learning how to perform physical tasks. Reading and writing skills could also be developed with the help of therapists. Advice on how to modify a patient's behavior is also given.

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