Dyspraxia affects 2% of the population, varying in the degree of severity in each individual, but could affect up to 10% of the population. 70% to 80% of those affected are male. Dyspraxia is a neurological based disorder. Despite considerable research over a number of years very little is known of the causes. Dyspraxia is a disability, but those affected do not look disabled. If it is not recognised that the child has dyspraxia this can then lead to secondary behavioural problems.  It is much easier to act the class clown or become an aggressor to hide any limitations.  Dyspraxia can affect any or all areas of development -- physical, emotional, social, intellectual, sensory and language. 

What are the difficulties faced by those who have dyspraxia?
         
Gross motor skills -- Difficulties  with  planning  and executing all large
         movements such as running, climbing, hopping, skipping, kicking a ball,
         riding a bicycle and walking in a straight line.
Seen to trip frequently, bump into things, seem accident-prone, have poor posture, tire easily and generally try to avoid movement activities, especially when others are involved. The child may be reluctant to try activities during P.E., not be able to organise self to pull up chair to desk to sit comfortably to work etc.

Fine motor skills --  Difficulties  carrying  out  all  activities  with  the  fingers
         can   present  with awkward, odd and fumbled movements.
Such as holding a pencil, using a knife and fork, tying shoelaces, using scissors, doing up zips and buttons, brushing teeth, poor handwriting, drawing or a dislike of puzzles.

Auditory perception -- Difficulties  understanding  what   is  heard, 
         identifying  sounds   and  their direction and carrying out verbal
         instructions.
It can appear that the individual has not heard what was said. Noises such as the scraping of chairs, children talking etc. will cause the child to lose focus. 

Visual perception -- Difficulties making sense of what has been seen.
Such as judging depth, seeing the difference between two objects and understanding how near or far objects are also away causing problems with copying, reading, writing including reversals of letters and drawing.

Perception skills -- Poor knowledge of body parts leading to reduced body
         image, difficulty knowing
which is left and right and not aware that the body has two sides.
Shown as bumping and knocking things, difficulties learning how to dress i.e. what sequence, front and back, inside out etc.

Tactile -- Difficulties understanding touch sensations. 
May dislike being touched if not knowing when or where touched. May demand heavy-handed caresses and love rough and tumble play in preference to light touch.  May dislike nails or hair cut, wearing certain clothes/fabrics, having to wear plasters and/or showers.

Visual -- Difficulties receiving visual stimulation.
Coloured furniture, patterned carpets etc. may be distracting.
May be seen to squint, cover one eye or hold objects at strange angles to look at them.

Auditory -- Difficulties filtering out sound.
May be unable to block off extraneous sounds to listen to just one thing.
'Hums' of machinery, may be highly distracting and become unbearable.

Vestibular -- Difficulties understanding movement sensation.
Balance activities may be very frightening and balance type activities may be completely avoided. Alternatively a child may seek movement activities constantly such as climbing, jumping, spinning and always being 'on the go'.

Intellect - Many individuals with dyspraxia have been found to be of average to above average intelligence but then have low achievement rates.

Emotion - Frustration, anxiety, stress and failure are frequently felt. Everything must be logical, right or wrong, black or white and so all things will be taken literally.

Social - There is a tendency to play with younger children, seek the company of adults or preference to play alone. 

Language - Speech can be slow or laboured and is a struggle to produce. This may be noticed when being unable to answer a simple question even when they know the answer, or when asked to repeat something they have said.

Learning - The above difficulties lead to problems with all areas of learning, including reading, writing and maths. All areas of sequencing are affected, as are following instructions.

Pre-School: Talk to your G.P. or Health Visitor about your concerns. A referral should then be made to a Paediatrician or Child Development Centre.  Assessments can be made by psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists or physiotherapists as is deemed necessary.

School Age Children: Talk to your G.P., school nurse or school doctor (appointments can be made through school or local health centre), teacher or educational psychologist. Again, referrals for assessments with correct therapists can be made.

Adults:   Help for adults is still at the early stages of development.  The Dyspraxia Connexion has more information and an Adult Support Group that meets monthly.

The future is usually hopeful in that, although dyspraxia is not curable, there is improvement in some areas with growing maturity. It is of utmost importance that the child, family, social contacts, school and anyone else known to the child has a good understanding of the effects of dyspraxia. This will ensure that the child can be offered the correct support and understanding to maximise their potential and maintain their self-esteem.
       
The Dyspraxia Connexion offers a range of activities for children and adults who have dyspraxia. For further information or a copy of our newsletter, please contact us at the address below.
Information packs are available for £2.50 including postage.  Information packs currently available are Dyspraxia - general information, dyspraxia in primary school years, dyspraxia in adolescence, dyspraxia in adult life and schools information packs. Separate articles include -What is Dyspraxia? (full version), developmental dyspraxia, primary school child, dyspraxia in secondary school, peer group pressure, sexuality, 16 plus, dyspraxia in adulthood, driving, hygiene & behaviour. We would appreciate a recommended donation of 50p per article to cover printing etc.