by Ann
Bielby
I
work as a tutor for students with Specific Learning Difficulties at Sheffield University UK
What
is dyspraxia?
‘Dyspraxia
can be defined as motor difficulties caused by perceptual problems, especially
visual-motor and kinaesthetic-motor difficulties.’(Portwood 1996)
Or
Dyspraxia
is a marked impairment in the development of motor coordination.
It
is sometimes called ‘clumsy child syndrome’ but this can limit an understanding
of the problems.
How
many children have dyspraxia?
5%
of children and 4 times as many boys as girls.
So
what problems can it cause?
It
is always important to remember that children are individuals so some of these
problems might apply but not necessarily all of them.
- Delay in early milestones such as crawling, walking, self-feeding or talking.
- Problems with motor skills e.g. riding a bike or slow, poor or illegible handwriting.
- Learning difficulties in reading, writing and speech. There can be difficulties keeping the place in reading and writing. It can be hard to look up at a blackboard and then back to a desk.
- Difficulty in carrying out instructions - this could be due to finding sequencing difficult.
- Disorganization - this can include self organisation e.g. keeping possessions tidy and organised and also organisation of ones written work which might well be confused.
- Problems with eye movements. This is linked with problems with reading.
- Wrong pronunciation of new words or mispronunciation of words already known.
- There can be problems around attention span and concentration difficulties.
So
is this really dyslexia?
There
is an uncanny overlap and both include slow processing speed but:
Dyspraxia
can include literacy problems.
Dyslexia
must include literacy problems.
It
is also important to remember that children can have more than one difficulty and
that dyspraxia may be linked with other conditions e.g. Asperger’s and
dyspraxia.
So
what does all this mean?
When
anyone looks at the above list it easy to think that just as when you look at a
medical book you imagine you have symptoms of an illness, looking at this list
it is easy to think your child is dyspraxic. It is important to think whether
their learning is being affected by their difficulties or are they coping well.
It is also important to be understanding about their difficulties but not to
allow them to use the problems to opt out of learning situations. Understanding
that some situations are explained by dyspraxia rather than laziness also
helps.
How
can you help?
Parents
and teachers need to find ways round difficulties whenever possible. Examples
–
· If
the handwriting is messy can the child use a computer?
· If
the child finds it hard to remember instructions, break it down to manageable
chunks:
When
giving instructions, there are often other things going on for parents so they
speak to another child at the same time or to themselves, e.g. ’I must remember
to put that washing in the machine before we go’ or ‘I need to get ready myself.’
Don’t
give too many instructions at once, as in this example: ‘Go and get your coat
because we are going shopping. You will need to wash your face because of all
that chocolate on it and comb your hair.’
Say:
‘I want you to listen to me.’ Maybe get them to look at you, say their name
before you start. Saying a name often helps as a concentration tip.
Then
simplify your instructions.
E.g.
‘John, go and get your coat.’
When
this is accomplished then give the next instructions such as…..
‘Wash
your face….’
‘Comb
your hair…’
· If
there are difficulties with concentration, reminding the child to keep
listening can help. It can also help to have a prearranged sign to help a child
get back on task. This could be a little tap on the table.
· If
the child has problems structuring their thoughts into a coherent piece of work
you might need to help them with planning e.g. make a list or a spider diagram
Parents
also need to know that these difficulties, though persistent, can be overcome
as their children are often creative and original thinkers, and with the right
kind of support and understanding can be extremely successful learners. My
experience with students is that the diagnosis of dyspraxia helps them
understand their difficulties and come to terms with what was hard in
childhood. One law student, this year, won a prize in his department and
finally was able to show how able a student he is.
There
is a wealth of information on various websites but remember the ‘health
warning’.
A.
Bielby
References
Developmental
Dyspraxia; Identification and Intervention: A Manual for Parents and
Professionals, Portwood M, David Fulton publishers, ISBN 1 853465 739
Coping
with Dyspraxia; Eckersley J, Sheldon Press ISBN 0 85969 920 X
How
to understand and support children with dyspraxia, Addy L, LDA, ISBN 1 85503
381 X
(We
have referred before to the LDA who publish on both sides of the Atlantic and have a wide range of references and
resources for special needs children, their parents and teachers. Find them on www.LDAlearning.com )
Other
useful websites are
It is worth noting that in some countries
dyspraxia may be called by other names. In North America
it is often called Developmental Co-ordination Disorder: the Canadian website
named above has some very useful information on this. The terms apraxia or
developmental apraxia of speech (DAS) may also be used. Apraxia
really means the inability to perform some fine or gross motor skills and so
overlaps with our definition of dyspraxia, but some may use the terms
interchangeably. DAS is a more specific condition and a quoted definition is
given below
Developmental Apraxia of Speech (DAS)
presents in children who have no evidence of difficulty with strength or range
of motion of the articulators, but are unable to execute speech movements
because of motor planning and coordination problems. This is not to be confused
with phonological impairments in children with normal coordination of the
articulators during speech.
While
children with dyspraxia may well have speech articulation difficulties, the two
conditions are not the same and shouldn’t be confused.
