Strategies To Help Children With Dyspraxia

Dyspraxic children have difficulties with their movement and coordination. This can often lead to them having problems at school, in terms of being organized, following instructions, and keeping up with their classmates at school. This developmental disorder is caused by a breakdown of the messages transferred from the brain to the body, which affects the child's ability to ideate, plan and execute movements. 

According to Alison Patrick, “Dyspraxia is on a spectrum, so some learners  will be more severely affected than others and dyspraxic individuals will tend to have a ‘cocktail’ of symptoms rather than a whole gamut of attributes. Each learner with dyspraxia is unique and effective strategies will vary between individuals.” 

Helping a child with these symptoms may seem tiring. That’s why, we have compiled some strategies/tips that can help while dealing with a dyspraxic child: 

• Start early: It is known that dyspraxia starts during early childhood, and can be identified if the child has problems or delays with sitting up, talking, walking, or toilet training. If some of these symptoms are recognized in the child before the age of two, parents and children can seek early intervention for dyspraxia. 
• Practice: When faced with learning new and challenging tasks or skills, children with dyspraxia often require opportunities to practice these skills, and can also be helped by showing and telling the child exactly how the task is done. This can take time, so it is essential not to lose patience while the child is struggling, but to provide them with support. 
• Playing: Dyspraxic children can have problems making friends in school, which can be frustrating and isolating for them. The increased time they take in learning skills used in sports such as running or catching a ball can also lead to them leading less active lifestyles. Hence, one important way of supporting children with dyspraxia is to play beginner level and easy games at home and in class to encourage social interaction. 
• Breaking down and repeating instructions: It is also helpful for these children to give them simple instructions one step at a time, instead of burdening them with too much information. Instructions must also be repeated to ensure that children understand what to do, along with starting with simple tasks and then slowly increasing the difficulty level of the task.
• Occupational and Speech therapy: OT and speech therapy are essential tools when it comes to helping children with dyspraxia. These not only help the child in mastering certain basic skills, it also keeps the child active and motivated in his/her  daily life. 
• Focus on strengths: This is especially important for children with dyspraxia. Focussing on the child’s strength can help to ensure that they are motivated and able to do their best in certain tasks, instead of expecting them to perfect all skills. 
• Recognize, diagnose and act: The child must undergo therapy so that they can find their way out of challenging situations throughout their life. Depending on the severity of dyspraxia, medical intervention may also be necessary. An untreated dyspraxic child will have confidence issues, might face bullying, anxiety and stress which exceeds as they grow older and have to be more independent.