Does your child take a very long time to copy a lesson, struggle to draw a line with a ruler, have difficulty cutting or often seem “clumsy”? A missed gesture from time to time is not enough to speak of dyspraxia. But if the difficulties recur, interfere with schooling or daily life, you must observe them precisely, talk to the teacher and then consult the child’s doctor.
THE Wall Street Journal presents an interview with Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, in which dyspraxia is discussed. Without making a remote diagnosis or detailing your personal case, this subject allows you to better understand a disorder that is still sometimes confused with simple clumsiness.
“The good reflex is to look at the repetition and the impact: do these difficulties recur often and prevent the child from learning, playing or being independent?” explains Dr. Gérald Kierzek.
Dyspraxia or developmental coordination disorder: what are we talking about?
Dyspraxia is also called developmental coordination disorder. It corresponds to a disruption of the ability to perform certain gestures and voluntary activities. The child can therefore understand the instructions and want to do well, but must mobilize a lot of effort to organize and carry out the requested action.
Concretely, this can concern writing, drawing, the use of scissors, an eraser, a ruler or a compass. At home, some children may also have trouble getting dressed, buttoning clothes, tying shoelaces, using cutlery or completing construction games. The forms are heterogeneous, with varying degrees of severity and sometimes other associated disorders.
To better understand dyspraxia, its definition, help and support, we need to think in situation: what happens in class, during homework, when getting dressed or in manual activities?
What signs should alert parents?
The most useful signal is not an isolated incident, but a pattern of ongoing difficulties. A child with dyspraxia may be very slow to copy, produce writing that is difficult to read, tire quickly, avoid certain manual activities or be penalized when having to keep up with the pace of the class. He can also be perceived, wrongly, as distracted or not very diligent when the motor task already requires a lot of attention.
“Before concluding, note two or three concrete examples: “he cannot draw a table”, “it takes much longer to copy”, “dressing remains very difficult”. These facts will help the doctor” advises Dr. Gérald Kierzek.
This observation must remain benevolent. It is not a question of constantly comparing the child to others, but of identifying what sets them up for failure. Health Insurance emphasizes that dyspraxia can have an impact at school and in the family: it is this impact that justifies seeking an opinion.
Writing difficulties can also lead to other disorders, such as dysgraphia. Distinguishing between difficulty in forming letters, slowness, fatigue, possible pain and real understanding of the lesson helps prepare for the exchange with professionals.
Who to talk to about it and what help at school?
The first interlocutor can be the teacher: he observes the child in the copy, the graphic activities, the PE or the manipulations. Then, Health Insurance recommends first consulting a doctor to confirm the nature of the problem before going to a specialized center. The child’s doctor or pediatrician can refer the child for an assessment and, if necessary, for individualized treatment.
“Don’t start by multiplying appointments at random: talk to the teacher, collect the examples, then take stock with the child’s doctor” recommends Dr. Gérald Kierzek.
After assessment, support can involve different professionals depending on needs: psychomotor therapist, occupational therapist, psychologist, and sometimes speech therapist or orthoptist. Not all of them are necessary for every child; support must remain personalized.
At school, adjustments can be discussed with the educational team: limiting the quantity of copying, giving more time, providing printed materials, adapting the assessment, or offering computer learning when writing becomes too burdensome. Schooling can take place in an ordinary environment with assistance, for example within the framework of a PAP, and sometimes a PPS after recognition by the MDPH.
“The goal is not to exempt the child from learning, but to prevent the difficult gesture – writing, tracing, cutting – from blocking access to knowledge” underlines Dr Gérald Kierzek.
There is generally no life-threatening emergency in dyspraxia that is gradually identified. On the other hand, if a motor difficulty appears suddenlyespecially after trauma or with weakness on one side, speech impediments, malaise or intense headaches, urgent medical advice should be sought. For disorders established over time, the challenge is not to let the child become exhausted or lose confidence. Advice on how to help a child with a dys disorder can also support parents on a daily basis.