A bit about Dyspraxia
Created | Updated Nov 29, 2004
Researchers note: Origionally written for a university course, but since hardly anybody knows what it is, im willing to share.
Special needs assignment.-Dyspraxia
Origionally wrote May 19th 2003. Edited november 2004.
So what actually is dyspraxia? Well the dyspraxia foundation describes it as
“An impairment or immaturity in the organisation of movement which leads to associated problems with language, perception and thought”
However another definition as described by Ripley, Daines and Barrett, page 1 , 2002, is that Dys is the Greek prefix for bad. Praxis is the Greek word used to describe the learned ability to plan and carry out sequences of co-ordinated movements in order to achieve an objective. In other words it means bad movement and to an existent that’s what it is.
Dyspraxia is also known by a lot of other names. These can include:
Clumsy child syndrome, developmental verbal dyspraxia, cerebella deficits, developmental co-ordination disorder, motor learning, sensory-motor dysfunction, minimal cerable dysfunction, DAMP,DCD, minimal brain damage, developmental articulatary, And development aprixia of speech. As you can see there are a lot of names for this condition but the general term used is dyspraxia.
However what actually causes dyspraxia? As Kirby (page 171, 1999) points out no one actually knows. They may be more than one cause, even several causes as it’s unlikely to be just one. In the past children with dyspraxia were all put into the same box. They would not be examined in detail for circumstances and differences. When that was done however it was discovered that children could fall into the sub group of DCD. As dyspraxia and DCD just describe what the child’s difficulties are they do not identify what causes the problem. However according to Portwood, 1999
“recent research indicates in dyspraxic youngsters parts of the brain are not mature enough to allow the child to follow the path from action to response without the transmition between nerve cells breaking down or becoming an unacceptably lengthy process.”
What are more clear are the signs of dyspraxia. It should be pointed out that not all dyspraxic children will display these characteristics; some may suffer from just a few whilst others display more. Signs of dyspraxia include: clumsiness, poor posture, awkward walking/movement, confusion about which hand to use, difficulties throwing and catching a ball and being sensitive to touch. They may also display poor short term memory, poor body awareness, have reading and writing difficulties and problems holding a pen and pencil. They could find clothes uncomfortable to wear. Dyspraxic children also have a poor sense of direction are slow to dress and feed themselves, are impatient and have problems planning and organising themselves. They have speech problems with phobias/obsessive behaviours, are impatient, have temper tantrums and mood swings. Finally they may have an intolerance to having hair and teeth brushed and nail and hair cut and find plasters uncomfortable to where. They can also be sensitive to noise and poor muscle tone. Others may display hyperactivity with limited concentration and have an ability to follow instructions. They will be late to reach developmental milestones and poor social skills and find it hard to make friends.
I am now going to look into some of these in more details. For instance the fact children may be slow to get dressed. This is because they find fastenings such as buttons, zips, shoe laces and buckles hard to do. They may also find putting on clothes such as socks, t-shirts and trousers hard. They may also get confused about which order they go on and how the item of clothing goes on.
Children with dyspraxia may also have temper tantrums. This is due to frustration and anger. They will get frustrated with the activities they can not do when they want to and they get angry because they find it hard to join in activities. Unlike conditions such as autism they do actually want to join in but because of there problems they find it hard. Children may bottle it up and take out the frustration they feel on family members. This can cause problems at home but in the long run its better they have temper tantrums at home rather than at school.
Dyspraxic children are often clumsy and have poor posture and movement. This is due to poor balance and spatial awareness. They will often have problems crossing the midlines of their body. As balance is crucial for movement a child will have problem moving if they have poor balance. Poor balance will also have a knock on effect with a child’s motor skills such as kicking or catching a ball.
Social skills can also be affected by dyspraxia. They can often find it difficult to build up relationships with people outside their families. This is not surprising as there is a lack of understanding about the difficulties these children face. A lack of confidence can also hinder a child’s social development. they may tend to stick to people whom they feel safe with and will offer them support. Dyspraxia sufferers also have problems feeling empathy with other people. This can take a lot of effort and may make them feel worse. They can see what others can achieve and may feel disappointed and worse about there own abilities. (this section was paraphrased from Macintyre 2001).
I am now going to move on and discuss how to help dyspraxic children. At home parents can help by allowing them to learn at their own pace and by offering lots of encouragement. As organisation can be problematic for dyspraxia sufferers check lists can be helpful. These can detail the child’s routines and help them work out what they are meant to be doing. As dyspraxia can affect the child’s perspective of time a kitchen timer could be a useful aid to correct this and help them realise how long tasks take them to do. If the child is hyperactive Ritalin could help. This works by:
In dyspraxic children the cortex (a part of the brain) has a reduced number of reinforced neural connections that is not sufficiently dampening the limbic system. Ritalin will increase the electrical activity but this can not be directed along appropriate neural pathways and therefore the dampening effect on the limbic system will be significantly reduced by up to 80%” (portwood, page 11 1999)
Another suggestion is in regards to the child’s diet. Some people have clamed that adding evening primrose oil or fish oil to there diet can help children. I assume this would help with the muscle tone. Parents have reported however that since following this advice they have seen an improvement in their child’s behaviour and condition.
Other ways to help could be via support groups. The dyspraxia foundation has a number of support groups around the united kingdom. This allows parents to swap tips and information about what is available to help dyspraxic children. This also stops parents from becoming isolated. However it is my impression that there is a few for children to attend however and that is a shame. Children need support and information as much, if not more, as there parents do. Some people do take it upon themselves to set up groups of there own to help the whole family which I believe is a better way.
Above all the best way to help is to give children information so they can better understand dyspraxia. Dyspraxia sufferers will be aware that they can not do what their classmates do. they can detect this from the age of 6. just having someone explain about dyspraxia to them can help reassure them and help them cope with it.
Teachers can also help at school. In the earlier years during carpet time allowing the child to sit on a chair or beanbag can help them balance and not shuffle about. As they grow older they may find copying off a blackboard hard so prep repaired sheets can take away that difficulty. As they may find writing hard a triangular pencil grip can be beneficial. However they may need another way of taking notes such as a code system. They may even need a scribe, a Dictaphone or a computer to do this. Above all patience and understanding can help with a child’s confidence.
Other ways to help can include a relevant therapy. Speech therapy can help the child overcome communication difficulties. Physiotherapy can help the child learn everyday tasks such as putting on a sock. It will also tackle problems with balance and motor kills, eventually making them less clumsy. A newer type of therapy I have recently come across is brush stroke therapy. According to http://www.bodybrushing.co.uk/overview.htm this treatment consists of,
Screening. To evaluate if the treatment is indicated in your particular case. This process consists of several tests and takes between 20/30 minutes.
Diagnostic Assessment. The long examination taking between one and a half/ two hours. Includes the start of treatment.
Report/review. Takes 1 hour. Tests, a chat about the findings at the Diagnostic Assessment, questions and answers, new programme.
Reviews. At 1 or 2 monthly intervals. Repeat tests and treatment changes.
There are stabilisation breaks at regular intervals during the treatment.
From what I understand of this treatment a therapist brushes different parts of the body with what is best described as paintbrushes to stimulate different parts of the mind. However I may be wrong about this. I am also cynical about this, I have known people who took there children for this type of treatment that did not really work for them. However what works for one child might not work for another and so it could work for other children.
I am now going to discuss how dyspraxia affects family members. Siblings for instance are also affected. They have to deal with the fact that their brother and sister have dyspraxia. If parents do not explain to them what it is they may feel very confused and anxious. As dyspraxic children need a lot of attention they may feel left out and jealous. They could also be angry or sympathetic towards the child with dyspraxia. They may be supportive to looking out for them at school and making sure they do not get picked on. However they could also feel embarrassed. Parents may feel confusion and place the blame on themselves. They can also feel frustrated at their child with dyspraxia and isolated. They want to help but they do not know how. Some may find it a relief to get their child diagnosed whereas others may not. It depends on the kind of personality that they have.
moving on to look briefly at diagnosis. The first step to getting a child diagnosed is either through a doctor or the child’s school. They can refer the child onto an appropriate specialist. However parents can also take the direct route and set up appointments with an educational physiologist themselves. Diagnosis can be made by occupational therapists, paediatricians, neurologists or educational physiologists. The actual diagnosis itself involves applying several standardised tests. These tests will use criteria for both motor planning and perception problems. It is then that officially the label dyspraxia can be applied to a child. Assessments can include specialists obtaining a detailed developmental history of the child (the major milestones such as first word, crawling, walking, also any problems with labour and delivery.)
A motor skills screening should be completed and a cognitive profile is obtained using Weschler Scales (WISC). This assesses functioning in: visual perception, motor planning or praxis, and somatic sensory processing (touch and proprioception.)
I wish to round up this assignment by presenting you with some quick facts. Dyspraxia is rarely present by itself. It can be linked with ADHD, Aspergus syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia and other associated conditions. Although no one can be certain how many people are effected it has been estimated that between 2% and 10% of the population. The one thing that my research agrees on is that approximately 70% of those affected are male. Another Figure quoted is one in 20 children. That means that there is at least one dyspraxic person per class. As for the future of the dyspraxic child? Well the future is looking hopeful. As the child gains maturity the child will improve in some areas. To a large extent they can be helped via treatment. Although they will continue facing problems there is absolutely no reason why they can't live a full and active life and be a success!
Word count=2126
Bibliography
Websites used.
http://www.bodybrushing.co.uk The body brushing treatment site, accessed on may 18th 2003.
http://www.hdsg.20m.com The website of Hartlepool Dyspraxia support group (edited by myself) 18th may 2003.
http://www.hiddenhandicap.co.uk Dyspraxia the hidden handicap website. Accessed 18th may 2003.
Books used.
Kirby. A, (1999) Dyspraxia, The Hidden Handicap. London-Souvener press (a&e) limited
Macintyre, C (2001) Dyspraxia 5-11 A practical Guide, London-David Fulton Press Ltd
Portwood. M (1999) Developmental Dyspraxia: Identification and Intervention: A Manual for Parents and Professionals (second edition) London- David Fulton Publishers
Ripley. K, Daines, B and Barrett J. (1997) Dyspraxia: A Guide for Teachers and Parents (Resource Materials for Teachers) London- David Fulton Publishers
Ripley, K (2001) Inclusion for Children with Dyspraxia/DCD: A Handbook for Teachers London- David Fulton Publishers
Special needs assignment.-Dyspraxia
Origionally wrote May 19th 2003. Edited november 2004.
So what actually is dyspraxia? Well the dyspraxia foundation describes it as
“An impairment or immaturity in the organisation of movement which leads to associated problems with language, perception and thought”
However another definition as described by Ripley, Daines and Barrett, page 1 , 2002, is that Dys is the Greek prefix for bad. Praxis is the Greek word used to describe the learned ability to plan and carry out sequences of co-ordinated movements in order to achieve an objective. In other words it means bad movement and to an existent that’s what it is.
Dyspraxia is also known by a lot of other names. These can include:
Clumsy child syndrome, developmental verbal dyspraxia, cerebella deficits, developmental co-ordination disorder, motor learning, sensory-motor dysfunction, minimal cerable dysfunction, DAMP,DCD, minimal brain damage, developmental articulatary, And development aprixia of speech. As you can see there are a lot of names for this condition but the general term used is dyspraxia.
However what actually causes dyspraxia? As Kirby (page 171, 1999) points out no one actually knows. They may be more than one cause, even several causes as it’s unlikely to be just one. In the past children with dyspraxia were all put into the same box. They would not be examined in detail for circumstances and differences. When that was done however it was discovered that children could fall into the sub group of DCD. As dyspraxia and DCD just describe what the child’s difficulties are they do not identify what causes the problem. However according to Portwood, 1999
“recent research indicates in dyspraxic youngsters parts of the brain are not mature enough to allow the child to follow the path from action to response without the transmition between nerve cells breaking down or becoming an unacceptably lengthy process.”
What are more clear are the signs of dyspraxia. It should be pointed out that not all dyspraxic children will display these characteristics; some may suffer from just a few whilst others display more. Signs of dyspraxia include: clumsiness, poor posture, awkward walking/movement, confusion about which hand to use, difficulties throwing and catching a ball and being sensitive to touch. They may also display poor short term memory, poor body awareness, have reading and writing difficulties and problems holding a pen and pencil. They could find clothes uncomfortable to wear. Dyspraxic children also have a poor sense of direction are slow to dress and feed themselves, are impatient and have problems planning and organising themselves. They have speech problems with phobias/obsessive behaviours, are impatient, have temper tantrums and mood swings. Finally they may have an intolerance to having hair and teeth brushed and nail and hair cut and find plasters uncomfortable to where. They can also be sensitive to noise and poor muscle tone. Others may display hyperactivity with limited concentration and have an ability to follow instructions. They will be late to reach developmental milestones and poor social skills and find it hard to make friends.
I am now going to look into some of these in more details. For instance the fact children may be slow to get dressed. This is because they find fastenings such as buttons, zips, shoe laces and buckles hard to do. They may also find putting on clothes such as socks, t-shirts and trousers hard. They may also get confused about which order they go on and how the item of clothing goes on.
Children with dyspraxia may also have temper tantrums. This is due to frustration and anger. They will get frustrated with the activities they can not do when they want to and they get angry because they find it hard to join in activities. Unlike conditions such as autism they do actually want to join in but because of there problems they find it hard. Children may bottle it up and take out the frustration they feel on family members. This can cause problems at home but in the long run its better they have temper tantrums at home rather than at school.
Dyspraxic children are often clumsy and have poor posture and movement. This is due to poor balance and spatial awareness. They will often have problems crossing the midlines of their body. As balance is crucial for movement a child will have problem moving if they have poor balance. Poor balance will also have a knock on effect with a child’s motor skills such as kicking or catching a ball.
Social skills can also be affected by dyspraxia. They can often find it difficult to build up relationships with people outside their families. This is not surprising as there is a lack of understanding about the difficulties these children face. A lack of confidence can also hinder a child’s social development. they may tend to stick to people whom they feel safe with and will offer them support. Dyspraxia sufferers also have problems feeling empathy with other people. This can take a lot of effort and may make them feel worse. They can see what others can achieve and may feel disappointed and worse about there own abilities. (this section was paraphrased from Macintyre 2001).
I am now going to move on and discuss how to help dyspraxic children. At home parents can help by allowing them to learn at their own pace and by offering lots of encouragement. As organisation can be problematic for dyspraxia sufferers check lists can be helpful. These can detail the child’s routines and help them work out what they are meant to be doing. As dyspraxia can affect the child’s perspective of time a kitchen timer could be a useful aid to correct this and help them realise how long tasks take them to do. If the child is hyperactive Ritalin could help. This works by:
In dyspraxic children the cortex (a part of the brain) has a reduced number of reinforced neural connections that is not sufficiently dampening the limbic system. Ritalin will increase the electrical activity but this can not be directed along appropriate neural pathways and therefore the dampening effect on the limbic system will be significantly reduced by up to 80%” (portwood, page 11 1999)
Another suggestion is in regards to the child’s diet. Some people have clamed that adding evening primrose oil or fish oil to there diet can help children. I assume this would help with the muscle tone. Parents have reported however that since following this advice they have seen an improvement in their child’s behaviour and condition.
Other ways to help could be via support groups. The dyspraxia foundation has a number of support groups around the united kingdom. This allows parents to swap tips and information about what is available to help dyspraxic children. This also stops parents from becoming isolated. However it is my impression that there is a few for children to attend however and that is a shame. Children need support and information as much, if not more, as there parents do. Some people do take it upon themselves to set up groups of there own to help the whole family which I believe is a better way.
Above all the best way to help is to give children information so they can better understand dyspraxia. Dyspraxia sufferers will be aware that they can not do what their classmates do. they can detect this from the age of 6. just having someone explain about dyspraxia to them can help reassure them and help them cope with it.
Teachers can also help at school. In the earlier years during carpet time allowing the child to sit on a chair or beanbag can help them balance and not shuffle about. As they grow older they may find copying off a blackboard hard so prep repaired sheets can take away that difficulty. As they may find writing hard a triangular pencil grip can be beneficial. However they may need another way of taking notes such as a code system. They may even need a scribe, a Dictaphone or a computer to do this. Above all patience and understanding can help with a child’s confidence.
Other ways to help can include a relevant therapy. Speech therapy can help the child overcome communication difficulties. Physiotherapy can help the child learn everyday tasks such as putting on a sock. It will also tackle problems with balance and motor kills, eventually making them less clumsy. A newer type of therapy I have recently come across is brush stroke therapy. According to http://www.bodybrushing.co.uk/overview.htm this treatment consists of,
Screening. To evaluate if the treatment is indicated in your particular case. This process consists of several tests and takes between 20/30 minutes.
Diagnostic Assessment. The long examination taking between one and a half/ two hours. Includes the start of treatment.
Report/review. Takes 1 hour. Tests, a chat about the findings at the Diagnostic Assessment, questions and answers, new programme.
Reviews. At 1 or 2 monthly intervals. Repeat tests and treatment changes.
There are stabilisation breaks at regular intervals during the treatment.
From what I understand of this treatment a therapist brushes different parts of the body with what is best described as paintbrushes to stimulate different parts of the mind. However I may be wrong about this. I am also cynical about this, I have known people who took there children for this type of treatment that did not really work for them. However what works for one child might not work for another and so it could work for other children.
I am now going to discuss how dyspraxia affects family members. Siblings for instance are also affected. They have to deal with the fact that their brother and sister have dyspraxia. If parents do not explain to them what it is they may feel very confused and anxious. As dyspraxic children need a lot of attention they may feel left out and jealous. They could also be angry or sympathetic towards the child with dyspraxia. They may be supportive to looking out for them at school and making sure they do not get picked on. However they could also feel embarrassed. Parents may feel confusion and place the blame on themselves. They can also feel frustrated at their child with dyspraxia and isolated. They want to help but they do not know how. Some may find it a relief to get their child diagnosed whereas others may not. It depends on the kind of personality that they have.
moving on to look briefly at diagnosis. The first step to getting a child diagnosed is either through a doctor or the child’s school. They can refer the child onto an appropriate specialist. However parents can also take the direct route and set up appointments with an educational physiologist themselves. Diagnosis can be made by occupational therapists, paediatricians, neurologists or educational physiologists. The actual diagnosis itself involves applying several standardised tests. These tests will use criteria for both motor planning and perception problems. It is then that officially the label dyspraxia can be applied to a child. Assessments can include specialists obtaining a detailed developmental history of the child (the major milestones such as first word, crawling, walking, also any problems with labour and delivery.)
A motor skills screening should be completed and a cognitive profile is obtained using Weschler Scales (WISC). This assesses functioning in: visual perception, motor planning or praxis, and somatic sensory processing (touch and proprioception.)
I wish to round up this assignment by presenting you with some quick facts. Dyspraxia is rarely present by itself. It can be linked with ADHD, Aspergus syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia and other associated conditions. Although no one can be certain how many people are effected it has been estimated that between 2% and 10% of the population. The one thing that my research agrees on is that approximately 70% of those affected are male. Another Figure quoted is one in 20 children. That means that there is at least one dyspraxic person per class. As for the future of the dyspraxic child? Well the future is looking hopeful. As the child gains maturity the child will improve in some areas. To a large extent they can be helped via treatment. Although they will continue facing problems there is absolutely no reason why they can't live a full and active life and be a success!
Word count=2126
Bibliography
Websites used.
http://www.bodybrushing.co.uk The body brushing treatment site, accessed on may 18th 2003.
http://www.hdsg.20m.com The website of Hartlepool Dyspraxia support group (edited by myself) 18th may 2003.
http://www.hiddenhandicap.co.uk Dyspraxia the hidden handicap website. Accessed 18th may 2003.
Books used.
Kirby. A, (1999) Dyspraxia, The Hidden Handicap. London-Souvener press (a&e) limited
Macintyre, C (2001) Dyspraxia 5-11 A practical Guide, London-David Fulton Press Ltd
Portwood. M (1999) Developmental Dyspraxia: Identification and Intervention: A Manual for Parents and Professionals (second edition) London- David Fulton Publishers
Ripley. K, Daines, B and Barrett J. (1997) Dyspraxia: A Guide for Teachers and Parents (Resource Materials for Teachers) London- David Fulton Publishers
Ripley, K (2001) Inclusion for Children with Dyspraxia/DCD: A Handbook for Teachers London- David Fulton Publishers
