Until recently, when the word Dyspraxia was mentioned, many people assumed you were talking about Dyslexia. This misconception is still prevalent today, however more and more professionals and parents are becoming aware of the fundamental differences.

Dyspraxia is a condition suffered by 1 in 12 of the population who are considered by some to be ‘clumsy’. It is the hidden handicap. Children and adults look the same as others but can experience real problems in their daily lives. The double whammy, is that many people who are Dyspraxic are also Dyslexic, hence the underlying confusion between the two.

Although the diagnosis of this condition is relatively new, it is not difficult to recall someone at school who couldn’t catch a ball, or run about without falling over. These children seem accident prone, hence the old fashioned label ‘The Clumsy child Syndrome’ or even the unofficial title of ‘motor morons’. These Dyspraxic children were regarded as lazy or stupid as well as clumsy, by teachers and peers alike.

These labels stemmed from ignorance, and this can no longer be the case. A Dyspraxic child ( as with a Dyslexic) is often of average or above average intelligence, and with the help that is now available should be able to achieve his full potential. However self-esteem is an issue that needs to be addressed, and you will find an article relating to this …………………………

So how do we define a child with Dsypraxia?

Fine Motor Control

• Poor pincer grasp which may result on poor control of a knife and fork, doing up buttons or shoelaces, pencil control, scissor control

Gross Motor Function

• Poor ability to balance
• A tendency to walk from the ball of the foot to the heel
• Inability to ride a bike/skateboard easily
• Hand/eye co-ordination affected
• Ability to kick/catch a ball is poor
• Spills drinks when pouring or misses mouth when eating when it is age inappropriate
• Carrying items on a tray, for example, is difficult without dropping
• Going up and down stairs/climbing frames is not always easy
• Bat and ball skills impaired
• No strong preference for right or left side, will swap hands/feet without noticing

Visual and Auditory Discrimination

• Cannot concentrate with people moving around or noises
• Will notice extraneous sounds and confuse them with a teacher’s voice
• Doesn’t work well in noisy groups

Poor Body Awareness

• Does not realise where he is in relation to own body parts
• Does not realise where he is in relation to others
• Bumps into people and things
• Has difficulty in altering physical behaviour to correct the situation

Change

• Poor awareness of timescale means he needs time to prepare for change
• Does not work well in an unstructured environment
• Needs a timetable to work from

Sequencing

• Can only take on board one instruction at a time
• Finds sequencing events or instructions difficult

If you can spot the signs in someone you know, then it is time to find out how you can help a Dyspraxic.

The Disability Discrimination Act aims to stop discrimination against people at work and when disabled people apply for jobs