Dyspraxia Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Dyspraxia is a term used to describe disorders of the nervous system that cause a person to have difficulty planning and processing motor tasks. This condition is also known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
A person with DCD may have difficulty coordinating movements, coordinating language, and speaking. But this condition does not affect intelligence.
According to experts, about 10 percent of the human population has some form of dyspraxia. However, only about 2 percent are classified as severe DCD.
This condition is more often found in men, which reaches 80 percent. Many of those with dyspraxia also have ADHD ( Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ).
Symptom
Symptoms found in people with dyspraxia can differ in various age ranges, namely:
- Toddlers: children who experience DCD usually take longer to sit, crawl (in most cases children do not go through the crawling period), stand, walk, talk (slow to answer questions, have difficulty repeating words, limited vocabulary, etc.), potty trained (stop using diapers)
- In early childhood, symptoms generally appear:
- Difficulty doing fine movements, such as tying shoelaces, buttoning clothes, writing, using cutlery, and the like
- Difficulty getting dressed
- Difficulty playing, such as jumping, throwing the ball, catching the ball, and the like
- Difficulties in classroom activities, such as using scissors, drawing, coloring, and others
- Difficulty processing thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating
- Tends to frequently drop things, bump, or fall
- Difficult to learn new skills
- Difficulty writing, or copying text from the whiteboard.
- At the end of childhood, usually things like:
- The various difficulties experienced before did not improve or only slightly improved
- Avoid sports activities
- Easy to learn if one-on-one, but difficult if in class or there are other children
- It’s hard to write and do math
- Difficulty following and remembering instructions
- Not organized
- For adults, symptoms that occur include:
- Poor posture and fatigue
- Difficulty completing household chores
- Difficulty coordinating both sides of the body
- Speak less clearly, the rules of words in sentences can be reversed
- Careless and easy to fall
- Difficulty planning and organizing thoughts and tasks
- Less sensitive to non-verbal signs
- Easily frustrated, low self-esteem
- Trouble sleeping
- Difficulty keeping up with the rhythm during dancing or sports
Reason
The cause of dyspraxia disorders is still unknown. However, experts argue that this occurs due to the emergence of developmental problems in the nerve cells that regulate muscle work ( motor neurons ).
If there is a problem with the connection between nerve cells, the result is that the brain will take a long time to process data.
Diagnosis
To determine the diagnosis of dyspraxia, a complete medical evaluation is required. Data is often needed regarding the child’s growth and development history, fine and gross motor skills, and others.
Some of the criteria that can help diagnose dyspraxia are:
1. Less developed motor skills than children of the same age.
2. These differences in motor skills affect daily activities and achievement at school.
3. Symptoms in children have appeared since the early development period.
4. The underdevelopment of motor skills is not caused by delays in other areas ( general learning disability ) or other medical conditions, such as muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy.Treatment
Dyspraxia cannot be cured, but various complaints can be corrected. The ability of someone with dyspraxia will be better if the diagnosis has been made early and the patient gets proper treatment early on.
Various management methods that may be suggested include:
- Occupational therapy: for various daily activities
- Language and speech therapy
- Perceptual motor training: improve language, visual, movement, and auditory skills
- Equine therapy: therapy with horse riding
- Active play: how to play associated with physical activity
Prevention
The cause of dyspraxia is still not known with certainty. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the appropriate preventive measures.
Early diagnosis can help determine the best treatment steps so that the patient’s daily activities can proceed more smoothly. Routine monitoring of the condition by a doctor can also help prevent this condition from getting worse.