CHILDREN
What does Dyspraxia look like?

Dyspraxia, Developmental Dyspraxia, Developmental Coóordination Disorder, Perceptual-Motor Difficulties, are all ways of referring to Dyspraxia. Dyspraxia is also very like Non-verbal Learning Difficulties (NvLD) and shares many features in common with NvLD, however there are some differentiating features too (see the question in this section; What are Non-verbal Learning Difficulties?).

Dyspraxia manifests like many other disorders and is a considerable array of different symptoms. No child will have all the symptoms, some may have more than others, and some may be more noticeable/severe than others. Dyspraxics (just as Dyslexics) can be intellectually very able. They do have one major, identifying feature in common, whether their dyspraxic features are more or less evident, all dyspraxics have poor co-ordination. This is due to some problems with the brain transmitting information to various parts of the body. This may be more evident in some children than others. Those with less difficulty with their gross motor skills (walking, running and jumping etc.) are often not diagnosed until later in life. Where fine motor skills are the most troubling and affecting writing, organization and co-ordination, this is often wrongly blamed on poor effort, lack of attention and clumsiness.

The following list covers the range of symptoms and problems Dyspraxia can cause. Remember an individual may have more or less of these problems, and no individual child will have them all!

• Clumsiness
• Poor posture
• Walk awkwardly
• Have difficulty catching a ball
• Forget instructions easily
• Limited concentration
• Handwriting difficulties
• Comprehension difficulties
• Vulnerable reasoning
• Poor organization and planning
• Difficulty drawing
• Avoids construction toys and puzzles
• Limited creative/imaginative play
• Sensitive to touch
• Poor body awareness
• Difficulty holding a pen or pencil
• Confusion about which had to use
• Poor sense of direction
• Difficulty with hopping, skipping, jumping
• Difficulty dressing due to balance problems
• Phobias or obsessive behaviours
• Speech difficulties
• Impatience
• Sensitive to touch or some materials
• Social isolation/peer rejection
• Temper tantrums
• Low self esteem

Many children diagnosed with dyspraxia (which can be done by a qualified occupational or physiotherapist) have varied and unpredictable ability and attainment skills. It is difficult to know what their profiles are like and the implications for their learning, unless fully diagnosed by a psychological and educational assessment.

If even a few of the items make sense to you read about how we conduct assessment at Learning Insights in this section on facts and questions, or click on Parent and Child, or follow up by clicking on CONTACT US.

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