What is dyspraxia
?
Children with dyspraxia have problems with smooth and
coordinated movements. Dyspraxia is often present after a brain
injury. Dyspraxia brought on by a brain injury can improve with
time and therapy.
'Motor
planning' describes the ability to plan and choose the right
movements in the right order to achieve a skill or
goal. A child or young person may have the understanding of what is
required, and have the ability to do the movements needed, but
is not able to successfully put it together in response to a
command or to conscious intent.
Dyspraxia can affect the oro-motor (mouth) area,
causing difficulties with speech sound production, or it can affect
the whole body. The degree of difficulties can range from mild to severe.
Fortunately, this is a problem that often improves with time,
practice and therapy, unlike the developmental dyspraxias (present
from birth) which are more difficult to treat.
What are the symptoms of
dyspraxia?
Sometimes a child can perform an action and at other times they can't. This is called a variability of ability. For
example, a child can be seen to do something spontaneously (e.g. scratching an itchy nose). However, they are not able to perform the same
action when asked, even though they may understand the instruction 'touch your nose'. This can be frustrating and hard to understand,
and a child or young person may be wrongly labelled as 'lazy', 'uncooperative', 'not trying' or even 'naughty'. For the child or young person themselves, the difficulties caused by dyspraxia can
be very frustrating and can have a negative effect on their
self-esteem.
Once a child re-learns a
task or skill, they are usually able to continue to do this
successfully. However, 'generalisation' (i.e. using the same skill to do a similar but different activity) is difficult for people with
dyspraxia. For example, a child may have re-learnt how to get
dressed with their usual clothing, however, if they are given something different to
wear or if they have to do this task in a different location, they
may encounter difficulties until they re-establish that particular
skill in the new environment.
When to see a doctor
The child or young person's
therapists, including physiotherapist, speech pathologist or occupational therapist, usually diagnose dyxpraxia, and these are the health professionals who can
give you advice about treatment strategies and how to best assist your
child.
Strategies to
assist
- Simply understanding that
a child has a problem with dyspraxia will help. Once people realise the child is not being lazy
or uncooperative, the pressure and stress is taken out of a
situation. This can make it easier for everyone to deal with.
- Changing the focus of the
task, re-wording a verbal request, giving a visual cue (i.e. a
gesture) as well as a verbal cue are all ways that can help
individuals with this problem.
- Allow time and be patient
with the child. Sometimes a child can complete a task, but it takes
longer because they have to consciously think about the sequence of
motor steps. Think about how an adult learns to drive a manual
car - needing to think through the steps of which way to move the
gear stick and operate the clutch while steering the car and taking
notice of the traffic.
- Break down complex
tasks into smaller steps, and complete each smaller step before
moving on to the next one.
Key points to
remember
- Dyspraxia is when
a person has difficulty organising and planning their
movements.
- Dsypraxia that
occurs after a brain injury can improve with time, practice and
therapy.
- Usually the child's occupational therapist,
physiotherapist, or speech pathologist will identify dyspraxia and
will be able to help with strategies and therapy.
For more
information
Developed by The Royal Children's
Hospital Paediatric Rehabilitation Service based on information from the Brain
Injury Service at Westmead Children’s Hospital. We acknowledge the input of RCH
consumers and carers.
Reviewed September 2020.
Kids Health Info is supported by
The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. To donate, visit www.rchfoundation.org.au.