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Dyspraxia
is a neurological problem that mainly affects children
during their developmental stage. The simplest of
tasks that require muscular movement is a heartbreaking
struggle for many kids afflicted with this disorder.
What
is dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia
is a disorder commonly seen in many physical activities.
A person with dyspraxia has a hard time understanding
sensory messages and interpreting these messages into
actions.
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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Dyspraxia
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