Dyspraxia at a Glance
7 Mar 2023
by
Noetic
3
minute read
Dyspraxia is the term used to describe difficulties an individual has with coordination and movement, affecting 6% of the population. Dyspraxia includes Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and other movement difficulties that may occur later in life due to brain injury. If you have had dyspraxia as a child, your clinician will likely refer to it as DCD.
Types
People experience dyspraxia differently. Sometimes, you might hear people talk about different "types" of dyspraxia. For example, someone who has difficulty with speech or communication might say they have verbal dyspraxia. Although these are all dyspraxia, people might identify a type that reflects the symptoms they experience the most. Dividing them in this way might make it easier to identify the support an individual needs.
Causes
There is no known cause of dyspraxia, although it has been linked to prenatal factors, such as premature births. Dyspraxia often runs in families and men are 4x more likely to experience symptoms than women.
There is lots of support available for people with dyspraxia and strategies that help with any potential struggles that people may experience. Dyspraxia may also occur alongside other conditions such as dyslexia or ADHD.
💪 Strengths
🎨 Creativity: People with dyspraxia may be able to think creatively and come up with unique solutions to problems. 🕵🏽♀️ Problem-solving: Individuals with dyspraxia may have strong problem-solving skills as a way to compensate for their difficulties with motor coordination. 🤹🏼♂️ Multitasking: People with dyspraxia may have the ability to multitask and manage multiple projects at once. 🗣️ Verbal skills: Many people with dyspraxia have strong verbal skills and may excel in oral communication. 🤗 Empathy: Often, having experienced difficulties with things like coordination, people with dyspraxia can be particularly empathetic to others around them
🏔️Struggles
◼ Movement: People with dyspraxia might have difficulty with learning new motor skills, controlling movements or spatial awareness. ◼ Fine motor skills: Things like writing, typing, or using small objects can be more difficult for people with dyspraxia. ◼ Social interactions: People with dyspraxia might experience anxieties around social interactions or have difficulty expressing thoughts and emotions. ◼ Memory: Memory can be impacted by dyspraxia, regardless of intelligence. ◼ Organisation and time management: might result in late appointments or missed deadlines but can be managed by things like diaries.