by Kelly Morris

Created on: October 04, 2008

Dyspraxia is a learning disability that affects a person's motor skill development. It may affect single step activities like waving goodbye or combing the hair, or it may affect multiple step activities like brushing the teeth or getting dressed.

In Young Children

Babies with dyspraxia may be slow to roll over and crawl. They may resist other tasks involving motor skills.

Young children with dyspraxia have difficulty with large motor skills. They have trouble learning to walk, hop, and skip. They have trouble learning to throw and catch a ball and learning to ride a bike.

They have often have difficulty learning to use eating utensils and holding a cup while drinking.
They have difficulty with fine-motor activities such as buttoning clothing and tying shoelaces.

Children with dyspraxia have difficulty with eye movements- they are prone to moving the whole head instead of just the eyes. They are late in establishing laterality (right or left handedness). They have a poor sense of direction.

There is also a delay in using spoken language and speech is often difficult to understand.

Children with dyspraxia also tend to be sensitive to touch. They may find clothing uncomfortable and find hair brushing and teeth brushing unpleasant.

In School Age Children

School age children have difficulty with writing, such as poor letter formation and pencil grip.
When taught computer skills, they may have difficulty with keyboarding skills because they do not have the manual dexterity required for the task.

Poor coordination can cause difficulties in physical education classes and sports activities.

Speech problems interfere with both casual conversation and class participation.

Children may have trouble developing social skills and getting along with peers.

Dealing with Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia can continue to present challenges into adulthood. For instance, it can present difficulties with tasks like driving a car, completing household chores, cooking, and personal grooming.

There is no cure for dyspraxia. Early intervention is key to treatment. Occupational, speech, and physical therapy can all help. Breaking complex tasks down into simple steps can help.

Some people with dyspraxia have other learning disabilities as well. They may have dyslexia, which is a reading disability, dysgraphia, which is a writing disability, or dyscalculia, which is a math disability.
They may also have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

People with dyspraxia may also experience low self-esteem, depression, or other emotional problems.
Children with dyspraxia may have behavioral problems as well.

For more information, you can contact:

National Center for Learning Disabilities

381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1401

New York, NY 10016

888-575-7373

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