symptoms of dyspraxia
What is Dyspraxia?
Coordination difficulties have been given many labels over the years, including Dyspraxia and ‘clumsy child syndrome’, but the most recent and preferred term today is Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).
As many as 6% of primary school children are affected and DCD commonly coexists with other conditions such as Dyslexia, Aspergher’s Syndrome, Attention Deficit (Hyperactive) Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Autism.
The following problems may be experienced by a child with Dyspraxia:
- A general clumsiness and poor coordination, often tripping over or bumping into objects.
- Poor balance and falls easily, often ‘falling over thin air’.
- Late reaching their major developmental milestones, e.g. sitting, crawling, standing, walking.
- Poor handwriting, which is often illegible and/or slow.
- An inability to sit still, often being fidgety or restless.
- Poor ball skills, e.g. throwing, catching, kicking.
- Difficulties with motor planning.
- Unable to ride a bicycle or is slow to master the skill.
- Difficulty using a knife and fork, often being a messy eater.
- Difficulty organizing themselves and their thoughts, making essay planning and timekeeping challenging.
- Poor short-term memory and forgetfulness, with remembering/following instructions being a particular challenge.
- Sensory processing difficulties which may manifest as disliking loud noises, hair washing, clothing labels and messy play.
- Difficulty copying text from the blackboard, due to poor motor coordination in the eye muscles.
- Easily distracted with poor concentration.
- May have difficulty with social skills, perhaps being a ‘loner’.
- Difficulty dressing/undressing, particularly with buttons, zips and shoelaces.
- Dislikes/difficulty with P.E. lessons and games, with their poor coordination and spatial awareness difficulties being intensified by the fast-paced environment. Some children will go to any lengths to avoid the humiliation of P.E. lessons!
- Poor sense of direction and visual-spatial processing difficulties (including spatial awareness).
- Daily struggles with school life may manifest as behavioural difficulties, perhaps being disruptive in class or becoming the class ‘clown’.
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