Does your child struggle with their coordination and overall movement? They could have dyspraxia, a developmental condition that can be treated with pediatric occupational therapy. Keep reading to learn what dyspraxia is, how it can impact your child, and how our expert occupational therapists can help your child build the essential motor skills they need for success.
What Is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia, also known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), is a condition that impacts a child’s movement planning and coordination. Most people don’t stop to consider how much skill it takes to do simple actions like picking up a ball and throwing it; but the ability to move your body requires the coordination of many of its systems.
Even a simple game of catch requires the ability to balance, judge distance, track the movement of the ball to know where to throw it and when to catch it, and use the right amount of force to throw the ball to the other player. Your brain and body have to work together to be able to play the game. With dyspraxia, it could be extremely difficult for a child to be able to move their body to be able to play a game of catch or do any number of other activities. And without treatment, these struggles can last into adulthood.
Risk Factors for Dyspraxia
While there is no exactly known cause for dyspraxia, a child is more likely to develop this condition if they:
- Are born prematurely
- Have a family history of dyspraxia
- Weighed less than 4 pounds at birth
- Are born male
How Will Dyspraxia Impact My Child’s Development?
Children with dyspraxia may experience challenges with their fine and gross motor skills, spatial awareness (the ability to know how their body is positioned relative to their surroundings), balance, and coordination. This can make it harder for them to do things like feed themselves, walk up and down stairs, get dressed, or even write. Without treatment from an occupational therapist, these challenges can persist and impact a child’s ability to play sports, do well in school, and succeed in their future career.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Dyspraxia?
There are several common symptoms of dyspraxia, including:
- Trouble playing with toys that require good coordination like stacking blocks
- Difficulty self-feeding with utensils
- Struggles when trying to play sports
- Challenges with physical activities like riding a bike or playing tag
- Trouble with handwriting, using scissors, or coloring
- Frequent accidents or clumsiness
- Struggles with getting dressed, especially using buttons or zippers
- Difficulty learning to tie their shoelaces
- Trouble brushing their teeth thoroughly
How Can Occupational Therapy Help Children with Dyspraxia?
Occupational therapy is designed to help children learn to overcome the obstacles that keep them from participating in daily activities. We do this using play-based, proven treatment methods that give children the support they need to build their balance, coordination, and other vital skills to empower their ability to play and learn. This could involve:
- Breaking tasks down into smaller steps and practicing each step until the child can do the whole task more easily
- Finding ways to adapt certain activities to make them easier, such as using specialized utensils or pencils that are easier to hold
- Playing games and doing exercises that build key movement skills
With routine therapy sessions, we can help your child learn to move their body with confidence and increase their independence.
Schedule an Evaluation
If your child has dyspraxia, Little Hands at Play can help them build their skills to improve their overall quality of life. Call us at (479) 226-3409 to schedule an evaluation with our occupational therapists today.
