What Is Dyspraxia?

dyspraxia

Dyspraxia, also known as developmental coordination disorder, is a complex condition that affects motor skills and coordination in children and persists into adulthood. Its leading characteristics include challenges with fine and gross motor tasks. If your child has dyspraxia, understanding this disorder is crucial for helping them lead a more successful and fulfilling life.

Prevalence and Long-Term Impact

The National Institutes of Health describes people with dyspraxia as appearing out of sync with their environment. This explanation highlights daily struggles such as poor balance and coordination, emotional and behavioral problems, perception difficulties, and trouble with reading, writing, and speaking.

Dyspraxia is a lifelong condition, impacting about 10% of the general population to varying degrees. While dyspraxia does not affect intelligence, its impact on motor skills and cognitive function can lead to significant challenges in learning, social interaction, and self-esteem.

Early Signs in Infants

Early signs of dyspraxia typically appear in infancy. These can include delayed milestones such as lifting the head, rolling over, and sitting up. Though some children with dyspraxia may eventually accomplish these goals, the journey there might be fraught with difficulties such as:

  • Unusual body positions
  • General irritability
  • Sensitivity to loud noises
  • Feeding and sleeping problems
  • High levels of limb movement

Signs in Older Children

As children with dyspraxia grow, parents and educators may observe delays in more complex skills such as crawling, walking, potty training, self-feeding, and self-dressing. These difficulties are due to the overarching challenge of organizing physical movements. For instance, a child with dyspraxia may struggle to walk across a room carrying objects without tripping or bumping into things.

Further challenges may include:

  • Unusual posture
  • Problems with fine motor skills impacting writing, artwork, and playing with small objects
  • Coordination issues that make it difficult to hop, skip, jump, or catch
  • Hand flapping, fidgeting, and excitability
  • Messy eating and drinking habits
  • Temper tantrums
  • Avoidance of physical activities, leading to decreased physical fitness

Cognitive and Social Challenges

Beyond physical difficulties, dyspraxia can significantly impact cognitive and social abilities. Children with dyspraxia often experience:

  • Short attention spans, especially for challenging tasks
  • Difficulty following or remembering instructions
  • Poor organizational skills
  • Challenges learning new skills
  • Low confidence and immature behavior
  • Difficulty making and maintaining friendships

Managing Dyspraxia for Lifelong Learning

While there is no cure for dyspraxia, specialized interventions such as speech therapy and occupational therapy can be highly effective in managing its symptoms. These treatments focus on improving motor skills, enhancing coordination, and developing adaptive strategies to handle daily activities more independently.

Early diagnosis and intervention can significantly improve the quality of life for children with dyspraxia, helping them achieve their potential academically, socially, and personally. At Project Play Therapy, we support children with dyspraxia and related disorders by treating the whole child. Our multidisciplinary approach incorporates professional expertise, parent/caregiver guidance, and child input to help your child reach their fullest potential. Reach out today to discover more about our in-school, in-clinic, and telehealth services.