| Dyspraxia affects the way in which we planor | | | | Games requiring sorting skills, or fine motor |
| actions and speech and how we actually perform | | | | co-ordination pose difficulties, consequently writing |
| those actions or speech acts. It is associated with | | | | and artwork is very haphazard. |
| problems of sensory perception, language thought | | | | May display anxiety and lack of attentional skills, |
| and information processing abilities. | | | | leading to distraction. |
| Dyspraxia is much more prevalent than one would | | | | Has difficulty with memory, following instructions, |
| imagine, affecting up to ten per cent of the | | | | copying from blackboard etc. |
| population, two per cent experiencing severe | | | | Poor organisational skills. |
| dyspraxia. Males are four times more likely to be | | | | |
| affected than females. Dyspraxia can be inherited | | | | Towards a neurological explanation? |
| meaning there is a genetic form of the condition, | | | | Impulses from sensory organs are relayed to the |
| but research suggests it can also be caused by an | | | | cerebral cortex by the cranial nerves. These |
| immaturity of neron developmentetc. It can also | | | | nerves enter the brain at subcortical levels and |
| co-occur with other neurodevelopmental | | | | their incoming sensory messages eventually reach |
| conditions, which also suggests that it can be | | | | a structure called the 'Thalamus.' The thalamus is |
| caused by brain injury. | | | | responsible, along with the reticular formation and |
| Other names for dyspraxia have included | | | | the limbic system for routing this sensory |
| 'Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), | | | | information to the correct part of the cortex for |
| Perceptuo-Motor Dysfunction, Motor Learning | | | | further processing. The thalamus does this by |
| Difficulties, Minimal Brain Damage and Clumsy Child | | | | 'exciting' the relevant part of the cortex. For |
| Syndrome. | | | | instance, if it were auditory information coming |
| What symptoms would a child with dyspraxia | | | | into the brain, the thalamus would 'excite' a part |
| display? | | | | of the left cortex known as 'Wernike's area, |
| Key developmental stages might be delayed, such | | | | which would then process the speech sounds |
| as. rolling, sitting, standing, walking, and speaking. | | | | which were directed towards it by the thalamus. |
| May have difficulty in coordinating themselves in | | | | In most people this process goes on fluently and |
| order to, hop, jump, or catch or kick a ball | | | | effortlessly, but in children with dyspraxia |
| although their peers can do so. | | | | somehow the signal gets jumbled or isn't |
| The child might have difficulty with the pragmatics | | | | processed adequately. This could be because the |
| of social behaviour, - judging how to behave in | | | | thalamus isn't exciting the cortex sufficiently, or it |
| company and therefore might have difficulty in | | | | may be over-exciting it. Even if the signal does |
| making or keeping friendship attachments. | | | | get through then it has to be passed to another |
| May display difficulty in understanding logistical | | | | area called 'Broca's area' where speech production |
| spatial concepts such as 'in', 'on', 'in front of' and | | | | is formed. If Broca's area is acting upon |
| logical relationships such as 'your mother's | | | | incorrectly processed information, then it's planning |
| brother,etc. | | | | and production of speech will be faulty. This is just |
| May have poor self help skills, being unable to | | | | one isolated example of what can occur. |
| dress, tie laces, fasten buttons, etc without adult | | | | There is also the problem of hemispheric |
| help. | | | | coordination. The cortex has two hemispheres, |
| Motor execution of movement might be slow and | | | | left and right, each of which has specialist |
| hesitant. | | | | functions, but which work in an efficient, |
| Procedural learning seems to be a problem, skills | | | | coordinated manner. Individuals with Dyspraxia do |
| having to be explicitly taught. | | | | not seem to have both hemispheres operating in |
| May fall, trip and stumble more frequently than | | | | this simultaneous, co-ordinated fashion. |
| peers. | | | | Can dyspraxia be treated? |