Tying our shoelaces, eating, writing or combing our hair are activities that for most people can be easy and automatic.However, most of these activities involve a set of different actions and movements that we have to learn to coordinate.

But some people have serious difficulties in doing so from childhood, failing to develop that capacity. These are people who suffer from dyspraxia .

Dyspraxia: definition of the concept

Dyspraxia or developmental coordination disorder is one of the disorders of neurodevelopment, in which children who suffer from it show great difficulty in carrying out coordinated activities and movements, involving simple gestures or actions that imply a sequencing of movements.

Symptoms

The most evident symptoms are the presence of motor clumsiness, uncoordination and slowness , interfering with the usual life and development of the subject. It is frequent that there are difficulties in postural maintenance and in performing acts that require fine mobility, requiring help to perform basic actions.

Also immature behaviors and social difficulties may appear . It is not uncommon for there to be communication problems. However, these alterations do not have to do with the existence of any psychic disability, as those who suffer from dyspraxia have normal intelligence.

Unlike apraxia, in which previously acquired faculties are lost, dyspraxia is characterized by the fact that the subject has never developed the ability to sequence his movements correctly. It is frequent that the first symptoms are already observable during the first two years of age, being common that they present delays in the development of the motricity and they take more time than usual to reach some of the milestones of the development.

Although it arises during childhood, it is also observed in adults, and it is important to start treatment as soon as possible in order to reduce social stigma and possible consequences throughout development. There tends to be comorbidity with other disorders, such as other motor problems or ADHD.

Types of dyspraxia

As with apraxia, there are different types of dyspraxia depending on where in the movement process or in the body the difficulty occurs. Four types stand out in particular.

1. Ideational dyspraxia

This type of dyspraxia is characterised by the fact that the problem is not only at the motor level, but that the subject presents difficulties in planning at the idea level the sequence of movements necessary to carry out a specific action.

2. Ideomotor dyspraxia

In ideomotor dyspraxia the main difficulty is in following the chain of movements necessary to carry out a simple action. The difficulty is only at the motor level, where the subject can perform the action correctly in the imagination . Often the difficulty is linked to the use of an instrument or object.

3. Constructive dyspraxia

This is a type of dyspraxia in which the sufferer has difficulty in understanding spatial relationships and acting on them. For example, a child with this problem will have trouble making a copy of an image or organizing himself .

4. Oromotor dyspraxia or verbal apraxia

In this type of dyspraxia the subject presents difficulties in coordinating the movements necessary to communicate orally, despite knowing what it means. It is difficult to produce intelligible sounds.

Causes of dyspraxia

The causes of the appearance of dyspraxia are not fully known, but it is suspected that they are due to alterations existing throughout the neurodevelopment that generate that the brain areas linked to the integration of motor information and its sequencing do not mature correctly. These brain areas are located at the back of the frontal lobes and around Rolando’s fissure .

It is usually due to innate causes, but can be caused by childhood injuries, illness and trauma.

Treatment and Therapeutic Strategies

Dyspraxia is a disorder that has no curative treatment, although it is possible to employ different strategies to improve the adaptation of those affected to the environment and teach them to perform different actions. The treatment of dyspraxia is multidisciplinary , taking into account both the clinical and especially the psychoeducational aspects.

In order to help these children, strategies such as occupational therapy are often used to stimulate the subject and help develop his or her capacity for movement. Another element to highlight is physiotherapy.

Speech therapy is also often essential in order to educate the child and allow him/her to develop the necessary coordination to be able to express words correctly. On an educational level, it may be necessary to establish individualised plans that take into account the child’s difficulties.

The use of expressive therapy or techniques to promote the child’s self-esteem, which may be diminished by perceived difficulties, can also be very useful. Training in social skills also facilitates a correct link with the environment. Psychoeducation both for them and for the environment can be of great help in facilitating the normative development of the subject and the understanding of the difficulties in it.