Dyspraxia, also known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), is diagnosed when a child’s brain cannot coordinate physical and muscular movements effectively. The condition is thought to be generic and is more common in boys. Some educationalists believe it sits side by side with dyslexia.
Dyspraxia is often diagnosed after the age of five, once other conditions are ruled out.
There are subtypes of dyspraxia, which can overlap, with the most common being:
- Oromotor dyspraxia, which affects the coordination of the muscles used for speech.
- Constructional dyspraxia, which presents is difficulty with spatial awareness and building or drawing tasks.
- Ideational dyspraxia. This describes trouble sequencing complex actions, such as brushing your teeth.
- Ideomotor dyspraxia. This affects the ability to perform single-step, purposeful movements, such as waving.
The range of symptoms in the dyspraxic child may range from balance and posture problems to slurred speech, and difficulty using writing tools. It can also present as poor organisation and planning, difficulty with sequencing and general clumsiness, which can affect self-esteem and cause embarrassment.
Children with dyspraxia may be highly intelligent but the condition hinders their ability to keep up. The symptoms of dyspraxia may also be confused by teachers as naughtiness or the pupil being lazy.
No two dyspraxic children have the same symptoms, and the correct diagnosis can prove difficult.
Supporting the dyspraxic child in the classroom
Supporting children with dyspraxia in school requires approaches that address their unique learning and physical needs.
- Adapting Teaching Methods: Incorporating visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic learning will cater for different learning styles and information retention. Tasks should be broken down in small steps to reduce overwhelm and promote a sense of accomplishment
- Use of writing utensils and paper. Wide-stemmed pencils and pens, and rubber grips, can help, as can graph paper to assist with letter placement and spacing
- Find alternatives to writing tasks. Dyspraxic children can struggle to keep up with writing tasks. Allowing them to use computers or providing electronic copies of materials in advance. Touch-typing is a useful skill for a dyspraxic person to learn
- Positioning in class. Students with dyspraxia might benefit from being at the front of the class but away from doors, windows and displays that can distract them
- Provide breaks. Concentration can improve if pupils are allowed to take a break, away from their desk and to move around before carrying on with the lesson
- Allow time for processing. Give children some thinking time when asking questions in class, and extended deadlines for producing homework. Repeating instructions several times can help, as can demonstrating what you want the children to do
- Using fine motor skills. Children with dyspraxia may need some early warning if they’re going to do activities that require fine motor skills, such as cutting out using scissors, or folding paper
*For further information go to https://movementmattersuk.org/ and https://www.thebraincharity.org.uk/condition/dyspraxia/
