Dyspraxics: More Than Just 'A Bit Clumsy'

Dyspraxia? What on Earth is dyspraxia? No I don't mean dyslexia before anyone thinks I'm being a moron who doesn't know what she's talking about. Dyspraxia, dyslexia do come from the same family of disabilities though.

Dyspraxia is a disability which affects the persons ability to organise themselves and their movement. So far, no one really knows what the cause of dyspraxia is although the Dyspraxia Foundation website has stated that: current research suggests it may be due to an immaturity of neurone development rather than brain damage. People with dyspraxia have no clinical neurological abnormality to explain their condition.

Can you recognise dyspraxia without being told someone has it?

The most common sign of dyspraxia is poor organisation and co-ordination. Dyspraxics tend to find simple tasks difficult, such as: housework, driving and even using a tin opener.

One of, if not the, most common signs of dyspraxia is inability to ride a bike. This is due to poor balance caused by dyspraxia. Dyspraxics are also known for poor posture and the inability to stand for a long time due to weak muscle tone. They can also be unstable around the joints and have flat feet. Movements tend to be clumsy; changing direction can be difficult and dyspraxics tend to trip or bump into things/people. They're also known for poor hand-eye co-ordination, making simple things like catching a ball difficult.

Two-handed tasks such as playing musical instruments or even cooking/using cutlery can be a nightmare for dyspraxics. This is due to lack of co-ordination between the two hands. Dyspraxics may have a poor pen grip and press down too hard when writing. Dressing can be difficult and putting on make-up or shaving for dyspraxics.

If a child is dyspraxic, they may develop late; this doesn't mean body-wise. They may be late crawling -or not even crawl at all- walking, talking, standing or rolling over. While all the other children are able to hop, run and kick a ball successfully, a dyspraxic child may not be able to. They may fall over often and be slow or hesitant in performing actions.

These are just some symptoms of dyspraxia. No two dyspraxics suffer the same way and even the most severe case of dyspraxia will not suffer every single one of these symptoms.

The main thing to remember is that dyspraxia is not just being a little bit clumsy.

Do dyspraxics have any communication/speech difficulties?

Dyspraxics are not necessarily socially awkward or outcasts like autism sufferers may be. However, dyspraxics sometimes have some difficulties in communicating with other people.

Talking continuously, repeating themselves or tripping over their words can occur in dyspraxics; they may also express difficulty in organising the content and/or sequence of their language. Difficulty may also be found in pronouncing words. For example, "Epilepsy" may come out as "Epiluh-lepsy" (remember, this is only an example and doesn't mean every dyspraxic in the world can't pronounce "Epilepsy" ).

Are they any good a estimating/judging things like speed?

Dyspraxics generally have trouble judging things such as weight, distance and speed; even judging left from right may be difficult. Due to this, dyspraxics may show difficulty in learning to drive; driving, however, is not impossible for a dyspraxic.

Time management can also a problem for dyspraxics. This is, again, due to difficulties in judging things. They may think a task will take more/less time than it actually will. They're also known for difficulty in planning and organisation; this may be thought or actions.

Difficulty in spatial awareness and body position can be expressed. Again, this can result in bumping into people or things and dropping/spilling things etc.

Aren't dyspraxics known for having memory problems?

Right!

Dyspraxics tend to have poor memory. It's usually their short-term memory as opposed to their long-term memory. The main problem caused by this is that they lose things or forget to take things with them.

Do dyspraxics have problems in their heads, like, the way they see things?

Not really.

Confusion can be quite common. Dyspraxics may have problems following instructions, especially if they're given a list of tasks to follow one after the other; and performing more than one task at a time can be very difficult. They may either do only one thing at once or try to perform more than one task at a time. When performing a task, a dyspraxic may be slow in completing it and wander about or daydream.

Dyspraxics can have problems seeing the patterns in things. This is due to poor sequencing. The problems this can lead to is difficulty in reading, maths, writing or spelling.

Does dyspraxia cause a person to be really weird or emotionally unstable?

Not at all. Anyone who tells you otherwise has made an inaccurate assumption.

Just like any other person, dyspraxics experience emotions. Perhaps dealing with these emotions may be more difficult for them than other people but they are, in no way, emotionally unstable.

Frustration is common among dyspraxics. They may search for/want immediate gratification. If they find something too difficult they may avoid/opt out of it. They can also avoid new/unpredictable situations due to difficulty in adapting adequately.

Good and bad days can also occur with dyspraxics. Just like any other person, dyspraxics have their ups and downs. As mentioned earlier, this is not being emotionally unstable in any way shape or form.

Emotional outbursts can occur due to dyspraxia. A dyspraxic may suffer low self-esteem; especially in the teen years while they are under pressure to be cool and respond maturely to people. They are also prone to obsessions and phobias/fears.

Stress an anxiety can also occur in a dyspraxic. These may lead to difficulty sleeping.

Anything else to say?

Most of the symptoms and information given in this article is not necessarily unique to dyspraxia. And, again, even the most severe cases of dyspraxia will not experience every single one of these symptoms.

A person may also experience dyspraxia without realising it and go on to live their life without being diagnosed as dyspraxic. Is doesn't make someone dependent or useless. It is a disability sometimes causing special needs but a person can live a perfectly normal life with dyspraxia.

-Most of the information in this article is roughly my own knowledge backed up on the finer details using informaton from the Dyspraxic Foundation website.

-To anyone who thinks I'm completely wrong/misinformed or have completely missed the point of dyspraxia and is plotting to yell at me, my response to any argument is pretty much infailable. Yell at me if you wish but hey-ho, my responses are pretty much sorted.

(Sorry if that last statement made me seem very up myself.)

I hope this article has been informative and thank you for reading.