Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder)

Dr. Judy Turner

Dr Angela Taylor Chartered Psychologists

Content of Session

• What is dyspraxia?• Case studies• What are the underlying causes of these

difficulties? • Useful strategies • Time for discussion

How might it feel to have dyspraxia?

Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia = difficulty with actions• Dyspraxia is a motor learning difficulty that

can affect planning of movements and co-ordination as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body (NHS Direct, 2008).

• Complex neurological condition• Difficulties vary between individuals

Co-morbidity

Dyspraxia is often found in students who also have:

• Dyslexia

• ADHD

• Specific Language Disorders – receptive or expressive

• Aspergers syndrome

Case Study- Joe

• Joe -22 year old 3rd year student of Politics

• History of underachievement at school

• Extra help with handwriting in Junior school

• 1st time assessment

• Arrived an hour early so as not to be late

Joe -Academic difficulties• Difficulties with time management

• All coursework late

• Spends more time working than friends• Difficulties with taking lecture notes• Planning essays v. difficult • Fails to answer the Q• Tutors comment on poor explanations in

essays, rambling sentences & lack of clarity of arguments

Joe- is this Dyspraxia? Or…..Is he just a poor student with ……• Inappropriate strategies for his

academic work• A tendency to procrastinate• Studying the wrong subject• Not very able• etc.

Joe-Is it dyspraxia?• Rule out neurological conditions that cause the

same difficulties e.g. cerebral palsy and minor neurological dysfunction

• Not just slow or untidy handwriting• Need to perform a full Educational Assessment

of reading, writing, spelling, general intellectual ability

• Developmental history – ask a parent (?)• Morrisby Manual Dexterity Test (1998) – test of

coordination• Dyspraxia questionnaire

Joe- Results- literacy & IQ

• Above average at reading & spelling

• Slow handwriting for all tasks

• Superior verbal ability & average to low average performance ability

Joe- Fine Motor Coordination• Difficulties with learning to tie shoelaces &

catch and throw• Help with handwriting at school• School reports – frequent comments on poor

presentation of work• Very slow at practical work and poor final

products• The last to get dressed after PE• Poor performance on the Morrisby (1%)

Joe- Gross Motor Coordination & Balance

• Trips over frequently

• Difficulties with bike riding

• Could not learn roller skating etc.

• Drops and breaks things

• Bumps into things

Joe- Multitasking

• Learning to drive really difficult

• Can only cook one pot at a time

• Can not write and listen in lectures

Joe- Organisation and Time Management

• Tidy enough but takes inordinate time and quickly becomes messy

• Runs out of essential food etc.

• Misses appointments

• Loses things

Joe- Spatial and temporal difficulties

• Can not judge how long things will take

• Difficult to get timing right when driving

• Gets lost easily and confuses left and right

• Time flows unevenly

Speech and Language• Word finding difficulties

Joe: Enough evidence for dyspraxia1) Difficulties with fine and gross motor coordination2) Plus other difficulties

Case study- Liz

• Liz – 31 year old 1st year undergraduate

• Came for pre-exam support

• Punctual for appointment

• History of being best student in class

• Always failed exams

• Competent mother of two sons

• Thinking A to E

Case Study - George

• 29 year– doing second first degree

• First degree Geography -3rd class degree

• Appalling time management

• Went into army

• Learnt coordination

• Poor writing skills

Definition?

NB: Not everyone with dyspraxia has all these difficulties

• Existing definitions are often too unspecific or too precise

• We need something that is helpful with a student population.

• One way to achieve this is to work backwards from the known difficulties

Difficulties associated with Dyspraxia

In addition to fine motor control and gross motor control

• Automatisation • Sequencing movements and information• Sense of time

Additional concomitant difficulties• Self confidence and self esteem

Brainstorm successful strategies