Dyspraxia symptoms
Dyspraxia is a mild form of apraxia, a neurological condition that makes it very difficult or impossible for people to make specific motor movements. There are various different types of apraxia, including orofacial apraxia that affects the face and a type of apraxia that makes it hard to move the arms or legs. Speech apraxia makes it very difficult for a person to move their tongue, affecting their speech. Dyspraxia, however, is generally not this severe, although it can lead to emotional distress that is just as damaging as the distress caused by apraxia.
Dyspraxia symptoms vary from person to person, and it generally appears at a very young age. Dyspraxia affects about six percent of all children, with males being more likely to have Dyspraxia than females. Sometimes, it’s obvious that a child has Dyspraxia at birth, but other times it may take several years for it to manifest. Dyspraxia generally causes difficultly in developing and can include impairments to social, intellectual, physical, and emotional development.
There are many different symptoms of Dyspraxia. Most people will experience several, although few experience every symptom of the illness. Because Dyspraxia differs from person to person and develops over time, the symptoms a person experiences may change, or the person may begin to experience more or less symptoms as they age. Because of this, it can be hard to see some early signs of Dyspraxia, especially during the very young years.
Some of the symptoms of Dyspraxia affect a person physically. They may have a hard time balancing, which can lead to difficulty walking in some cases. They might also have poor coordination, poor posture, or poor vision. Obviously, some of these conditions can affect a person without being related to Dyspraxia, which again makes it hard to diagnose. Difficulty speaking may also be a symptom of Dyspraxia, and if a child doesn’t start taking within a few years, it could be a sign of the illness. Some children who have their motor skills affected by Dyspraxia will also be late in starting to crawl or walk.
Other Dyspraxia symptoms may not show up until a child enters school. These symptoms include having a poor short-term memory and having a hard time learning to read. Having poor social skills or difficulty interacting with others can also be a sign of Dyspraxia. This is also generally the time when poor coordination symptoms appear, especially as children start playing more complex games requiring timing and hand-eye coordination.
Another symptom of Dyspraxia that isn’t related to the illness but is still very much a concern is the emotional stress it puts on a child. If a child has poor coordination and can’t play sports very well, he may be made fun of. The same is true of having poor reading skills. While a school may put the child in a remedial reading group to help with this, the same group also has a social stigma about it—they are the “slow” kids who can’t read. This can seriously affect a child’s self esteem and make him or her start to hate reading and going to school.
It can be even worse for the child with speech Dyspraxia. While it may not be as severe as speech Apraxia, which can make it impossible for people to say words correctly or put together sentences, it can still cause embarrassment. Children may not be able to pronounce words correctly, for example, and other children may make fun of them because of this. Parents of children with Dyspraxia, no matter what the illness affects, need to remember that their child is dealing with more than just the symptoms of Dyspraxia; they’re also dealing with the emotional fallout from the illness as well.
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