Dyspraxia is a chronic condition that usually begins in early childhood. It is a developmental coordination disorder. It affects both big motor skills and fine motor skills. This condition has nothing to do with your intelligence. It impacts your ability to plan and process motor tasks. This condition occurs more often in men. If you are born prematurely, have a low birth weight, or a family history of this condition you are more at risk of having this condition.
Symptoms
Dyspraxia is a chronic condition so it persists into adulthood. Symptoms usually are present in early childhood development years. Your child may have delayed milestones such as crawling, walking, potty training, self-feeding, or self dressing. Other symptoms young children can have are unusual body positions, general irritability, sensitivity to loud noises, feeding problems, sleeping problems, and a high level of movement of the arms and legs.
Older children may have different symptoms. Symptoms that include difficulty walking up and down stairs, difficulty with balance, lack of coordination, hand flapping, temper tantrums, or trouble following instructions.
Symptoms in adults can include abnormal posture, abnormal gait, poor hand-eye coordination, fatigue, trouble learning new skills, organization and planning problems, difficulty writing, and social awkwardness.
Complications
Along with having dyspraxia it is also very common for someone to have other conditions. You might also have ADHD, dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, difficulty learning math, depression, or anxiety.
Dyspraxia can cause very normal and simple tasks to be hard. Things like fastening buttons, brushing teeth, or tying shoes can be very difficult. Large motor skills like riding a bike, jumping, catching, throwing a ball, or kicking a ball can also be difficult. Fine motor skills can be difficult as well like writing, drawing, or using scissors. Children and adults with dyspraxia may fade away from things like sports or drawing if they suffer from this condition.
Diagnosis
Symptoms can look similar to conditions like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. Because of this your doctor may start the diagnosis process by ruling out these conditions first. There is no actual test to be done to diagnose dyspraxia. Diagnosing dyspraxia can be done by a clinical psychologist, an educational psychologist, pediatrician, or an occupational therapist. Your doctor will want to check the developmental history to see if there have been any developmental milestones that have been delayed. They will also check your intellectual ability. Gross and fine motor skills will also be done. Gross motor skills, or large muscle skills, are things like running, maintaining balance, jumping, throwing, or walking. These will help your doctor see how well body coordination is. Fine motor skills, or small muscles, will also be checked. This will be things like tying shoelaces, fastening buttons, cutting with scissors, and writing.
Treatment
There is no cure. This is a chronic condition that will last your whole life. Therapies will help with daily living and making your quality of life better. Occupational therapy will help you learn how to manage daily tasks, can help you improve writing, or to prepare food. Cognitive behavioral therapy or talking therapy can help manage problems that come along with this condition by changing the way you think and behave. Keeping fit can help with coordination. If writing is too difficult to write, learning to use a computer or laptop can also be helpful. Learning organization tools if you struggle with planning or organizing. Speech and language therapies can help if there is a speech problem. Looking into individualized education programs through your child’s school can also help them have a better experience at school, and learn in a way they can understand and grasp subjects.
Takeaway
Dyspraxia is a chronic condition that in some aspects affects about 5% of the pediatrics worldwide. It is a developmental coordination disorder that impacts your ability to plan and process motor tasks. This can be either gross motor or fine motor skills. It can impact daily life, limiting tasks you can do successfully. With different types of therapies you can increase your quality of living, and help learn to do daily tasks independently.
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Sources:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia-in-adults/#:~:text=Dyspraxia%2C%20also%20known%20as%20developmental,learning%20to%20drive%20a%20car.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23963-dyspraxia-developmental-coordination-disorder-dcd
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151951#diagnosis_adults
https://www.healthline.com/health/dyspraxia#summary