#DyspraxiaAwarenessWeek
From the 13th to the 19th of October is being celebrated the Awareness week of Dyspraxia.
“Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), commonly known as dyspraxia, is a neurological condition affecting physical movement and co-ordination that influences the performance of daily activities”
These activities can go from riding a bicycle and playing sports, to fine motor skills such as writing, dressing up, tying shoelaces,…
The impact of DCD/Dyspraxia on everyday life is meaningful. Caçola 2016 described how Dyspraxia/DCD is considered to be “one of the major health problems among school-aged children worldwide, with unique consequences to physical and mental health.”
Dyspraxia difficulties are related to motor planning, task organization, thought organization, time management,… which makes it difficult to learn new skills, and also influences social and emotional aspects.
Apart from children, Dyspraxia also occurs in adults. Children with dyspraxia may overcome some of their difficulties during the early years, but others are likely to persist into adulthood. Some adults may not have been diagnosed as a child, some adults may have learned strategies to overcome life difficulties; some adults may have chosen areas of work that benefit their strengths…. because people with dyspraxia can have possible strengths, such as creativity, strategic thinking, good problem-solving, an eye for detail, and a good long-term memory, among others, depending on the person.
Dyspraxia does not affect intelligence, but it can make life difficult for children during their educational years and adults during higher education and in the workplace. People with dyspraxia develop motor skills slower than others, so some things are harder to learn, but with appropriate support, these skills can be learned. That is why it is crucial for them to get an assessment and start therapy if needed, so life can be easier for them in the different stages of their lives.
Dyspraxia can also affect the level of alertness…
“Dyspraxia can affect arousal, usually being increased when a new or unfamiliar task is presented. This happens because of the previous failures to achieve success on sensory-motor tasks, so it will trigger and raise arousal levels. This may mean they are more likely to make decisions in flight, fight, or freeze mode, resulting in behaviors that challenge others. The underlying problem is the praxis deficit, not sensory reactivity in response to a perceived threat.”
“This is very true of our clients who have dyspraxia co-occurring with mental health difficulties. We ignore and disregard praxis at our peril. Left unaddressed, praxis deficits continue to interfere with participation in daily life, skill development and self-esteem unabated.”
Kath Smith
If you are interested in learning more about Dyspraxia, we are excited to invite you to our upcoming Coffee and Chat session (Tonight). We will have the pleasure of hosting Elisabeth Soechting to guide us through the topic. Join us for a Coffee and Chat on Dyspraxia this Wednesday, October 16th, at 7.30 PM.
This is the Zoom link:
And if you would like to deepen your learning about different neurological conditions and Sensory Integration, here are our Sensory Integration Learning routes: