Dyspraxia

Please note:  I have embedded material from YouTube to engage you in this topic.  If you are at a school with YouTube block, you will not be able to see the video.

Let's talk about dyspraxia!

This video allows you to understand dyspraxia from the child's perspective, but it is only one viewpoint as experiences, signs and symptoms vary.

This video offers a treatment method at the end that I do agree with, but I do not use machines to integrate the assimilation, I use environmental experiences.  I see children primarily in an academic setting to obtain academic achievement within a limited time frame, so our therapy must be functional and productive.  Again each child and experience is unique, so the treatment and the results do vary.

Here is a link explaining the diagnosis of dyspraxia from which the following video may be found:  Dyspraxia Defined

Dyspraxia Therapy

Dyspraxia is a developmental challenge that requires treatment to overcome.  Children need to develop perceptual and spatial skills through games.  Games can include physical and board game activities.  Children may be resistance so the participants guiding these activities need to have excessive patience with willingness to guide or get someone who can.  If dyspraxia is not caught early, there can be huge issues with self esteem.  The position of the body or the pencil grip needs to be taught correctly from the beginning so the process of relearning does not require excessive therapy.  This is also true with the formation of letters, which should start with tracing in a sand or glitter box so that there will be extra feedback to the body through the finger while getting the motor pattern mastered.  Use the formation of letters set aside in a writing curriculum such as Handwriting Without Tears, or Zaner Bloser.  In later years students will need help with cursive writing, and touch-typing for academic success.  If some of the signs and systems affect spatial issues, students need help organizing their papers in math, science diagrams, geography, note taking, filing skills, and organizing materials in transparent labeled folders.    I prefer to use brain gym activities and games to warm up and then I address the goal of writing.  When the goal of the session has been met I will go back to a rewarding game that the student has already mastered.


Please feel free to read more at the:

• Dyspraxia Foundation
• Medical News Today
• Dyspraxia Dynamo Project
• NINDS
• BBC What is dyspraxia?
• Worksheet Tools for Praxis Issues
• Dyspraxia Support Group 

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