Dyspraxia - Article by Mark Daly

Ten percent of the population has some disability either physical or neurological. It is difficult to assess and in the last 50 years multiple forms of disability have become more obvious in schools and generally observed by parents.

An increasing number of parents are now recognising that they are not alone when they think “my child is a bit slow”, “sometimes he/she is all fingers and thumbs” “he/she appears clumsy and is slow to pick up compared to his/her peers”, "he/she is late for school”, “finds it difficult to get dressed”, “cannot use his/her knife and fork properly”, or “cannot tell the time”.

The child maybe able to throw a ball, but cannot catch it, or engage in any coordinated sports. In class, for example, he/she appears to daydream and his/her teachers may brand him/her as “lazy”. Although friendly and co-operative there maybe problems sorting out books, reading instructions from the board and basic Maths may be a particularly difficult subject. His/her teachers may have tried to bring him/her along and keep him/her up with the class but it can be a struggle. Writing is a difficult problem and the quality can be poor and time consuming.

Parents spends hours doing homework and trying to keep the child up to standard but with a continuous suspicion that there is something wrong. In the past assessments carried out by educational specialists often failed to reveal a definite answer.

In the United States, this problem was known for years as “clumsy child syndrome”. And at present there does not appear to be an understanding of the cause. However experts recommend early diagnosis, understanding and tailored therapy i.e. intensive instruction and special classes. The term “clumsy child syndrome” has been replaced by the clinical; term “dyspraxia”.

So what is Dyspraxia? Dyspraxia implies difficulties in the areas of planning, movement and motor co-ordination and is usually tied in with other problems such as such as poor balance, posture and co-ordination. Dyspraxic children have underdeveloped fine motor skills, which makes writing and drawing difficult. Thankfully Dyspraxia is now being studied.

The Dyspraxia Association of Ireland and the Dyspraxia foundation are the leading lights in this area.

To get in contact with the Dyspraxia Association of Ireland;

Phone: 01 2957125.

Web: www.dyspraxiaireland.com

And for the United Kingdom it is www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk or www.danda.org.uk.