OVERVIEW

Since children's rates of development vary greatly, it might be easy to overlook the early indicators of dyspraxia (developmental coordination issue). As a result, a child with DCD is typically not given a formal diagnosis until they are five years old or older.

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A group of experts with the necessary training to assess the unique criteria for dyspraxia should make the diagnosis. These criteria may include a:

• Pediatrician.

• Physical or occupational therapist.

• Child psychologist.

• Pediatric neurology specialist.

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Medical testing cannot conclusively identify dyspraxia. Rather, the medical team treating your child will enquire in-depth about your child's development, symptoms, and medical history. They will evaluate the balance, coordination, and gross and fine motor skills of your youngster.   

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Additionally, they'll evaluate your child's mental capacity to make sure it falls within the typical range for their age. Medical professionals must also rule out other conditions like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy as potential causes of your child's movement issues.

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A kid usually needs to fulfill all of the following requirements in order to be diagnosed with dyspraxia, also known as developmental coordination disorder:

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Their motor abilities fall well short of what is expected. Their everyday activities and academic performance are impacted by their poor motor skills and coordination. Dyspraxia symptoms initially appeared in the early stages of development. Other medical issues don't provide a better explanation for their difficulty with motor abilities.

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Many different problems with motor skills and coordination can be attributed to dyspraxia, also known as developmental coordination disorder. While the majority of dyspraxics exhibit symptoms by the time they enter school, some have milder variations of the disorder that are harder to identify.

Dyspraxia symptoms in infants and young children

When babies and toddlers fail to meet anticipated developmental milestones, it may be an early indication of dyspraxia. For instance, it could take your child longer than anticipated to sit, roll over, crawl, or walk.

Moreover, you might observe that your child:

• Finds it challenging to engage with toys that require coordination, such as stacking cups.

• Has some trouble picking up the use of spoons and forks during eating.

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Dyspraxia symptoms in older kids

When it comes to older kids, dyspraxia symptoms include:

• Walking up and down stairs is difficult.

• Unsteadiness in their gait; they could run into things, stumble a lot, or appear awkward.

• Inability to perform sports and activities like biking, leaping, or kicking, throwing, or catching a ball. Due to their poor coordination, they could shy away from engaging in certain activities.

• Difficulty using scissors, writing, and coloring in comparison to other kids their age.

• Having trouble brushing their teeth, tying shoelaces, buttoning clothing, and attaching buttons.

• Restlessness: They might regularly swing or flex their arms and legs.

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It's possible that your child will get frustrated trying to complete these chores. Due to their dissatisfaction and issues with coordination, children with dyspraxia may also be unwilling to exercise, which increases their risk of becoming overweight or obese.

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 Causes 

Why certain kids have dyspraxia is unknown. But, there is a wide range of "normal" for any human skill, with an average, and some of us are more or less capable than others. Some kids may have far less coordination than average, but some kids may have far better coordination than normal (some of them going on to be successful athletes or dancers, for example).

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This indicates that motor coordination development ranges widely, from extremely low to extremely high. We refer to it as dyspraxia when this development is noticeably delayed since we understand that it is a significant difficulty for your child.

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Several factors have been proposed to raise the likelihood of developing dyspraxia:

• Since dyspraxia appears to run in families, there may be a genetic component to it—your child's "making" This implies that a less efficient motor nerve growth in certain youngsters could represent a genetic predisposition.

• Babies born prematurely, especially those with extremely low birth weights, appear to be more susceptible to dyspraxia.

• There is proof that excessive alcohol consumption or use of illegal drugs during pregnancy can result in dyspraxia, albeit these toxins also have a host of other negative effects.