Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is a recognised medical disorder, which impairs the organisation of movement. It is caused by a neurological difference in the way the brain processes information related to movement. Dyspraxia affects the planning of what to do and how to do it. It is associated with problems of perception, language and thought. Other names for Dyspraxia include Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), Perceptuo-Motor Dysfunction, and Motor Learning Difficulties. It used to be known as Minimal Brain Damage and Clumsy Child Syndrome. Dyspraxia sometimes runs in families and there may be an overlap with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and other related conditions.
The difficulties that Dyspraxia may present are difficulties with motor co-ordination, articulation and/or eye movement co-ordination. This could cause challenges when doing routine tasks like driving a car and doing household activities like cooking and cleaning, as well as challenges with grooming and getting dressed.
Diagnosing Dyspraxia is important as the above mentioned difficulties may often be interpreted as problematic behaviour and can cause inappropriate labelling of individuals with long lasting damaging effects. Undiagnosed, Dyspraxia can prevent people from reaching their personal goals and from engaging effectively in their work environment. These negative social experiences may then cause feelings of low self esteem due to the lack of understanding of the underlying neurological causes of their difficulties.
Assessing Dyspraxia will help identify the specific difficulties of each individual and will clarify if the presented difficulties are consistent with the diagnosis of Dyspraxia. Because the symptoms of Dyspraxia can be part of a broader spectrum of neurological challenges, it is important to do a comprehensive assessment of cognitive functioning. This process of assessment can take up to 3 1/2 hours.
With support the difficulties associated with Dyspraxia can be managed and improved by using work interventions, coping strategies and management techniques.
Dyspraxia is a recognised medical disorder, which impairs the organisation of movement. It is caused by a neurological difference in the way the brain processes information related to movement. Dyspraxia affects the planning of what to do and how to do it. It is associated with problems of perception, language and thought. Other names for Dyspraxia include Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), Perceptuo-Motor Dysfunction, and Motor Learning Difficulties. It used to be known as Minimal Brain Damage and Clumsy Child Syndrome. Dyspraxia sometimes runs in families and there may be an overlap with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and other related conditions.
The difficulties that Dyspraxia may present are difficulties with motor co-ordination, articulation and/or eye movement co-ordination. This could cause challenges when doing routine tasks like driving a car and doing household activities like cooking and cleaning, as well as challenges with grooming and getting dressed.
Diagnosing Dyspraxia is important as the above mentioned difficulties may often be interpreted as problematic behaviour and can cause inappropriate labelling of individuals with long lasting damaging effects. Undiagnosed, Dyspraxia can prevent people from reaching their personal goals and from engaging effectively in their work environment. These negative social experiences may then cause feelings of low self esteem due to the lack of understanding of the underlying neurological causes of their difficulties.
Assessing Dyspraxia will help identify the specific difficulties of each individual and will clarify if the presented difficulties are consistent with the diagnosis of Dyspraxia. Because the symptoms of Dyspraxia can be part of a broader spectrum of neurological challenges, it is important to do a comprehensive assessment of cognitive functioning. This process of assessment can take up to 3 1/2 hours.
With support the difficulties associated with Dyspraxia can be managed and improved by using work interventions, coping strategies and management techniques.