Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia
A friend of mine has a son who’s dyspraxic and I’ve been shocked at how little is known about this neurological condition. As my friend says, it feels as though it’s where dyslexia was 20 years ago – people have heard of it but don’t know a great deal about it. I wanted to share with you some of what I’ve learnt, sign post you to more resources and explain how your nanny could help with a dyspraxic child.
What is dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia is also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder and the signs that your child may have it are poor coordination and delayed development when it comes to motor skills like everyday tasks. A child with dyspraxia may find balancing tricky in the playground, or struggle to learn how to use a knife and fork, preferring to eat with their hands. At school, they might find handwriting difficult as well as activities that require coordination.
These examples are simple to understand when written down, but dyspraxia is complex and could come out in a variety of ways.
- The child may not know how to process the environment around them (smell, touch, sight) and so find it difficult to choose a course of action and tell their body what to do.
- They may not know which action to perform in a situation.
- They may not know how to put several actions into a sequence to achieve what they want to do.
- Even if they can do some of the above, they may not be able to use the right force, speed, timing. And if the situation changes as it may do in sport, then that’s also a lot to deal with.
It’s very important to emphasise that dyspraxia doesn’t impact intelligence or the brain’s ability to learn (I say the brain’s ability to learn, as a dyspraxic child’s mental health may impact the child’s own desire to learn).
“It took a while for me to work it out. I knew from when he was a toddler that his coordination was different from my first son’s but having a super sporty one first gives you a different perspective.”
What’s the impact of dyspraxia?
The impact of dyspraxia on the child is physical as I’ve described and some tasks that most of us don’t even think about, will prove very challenging. But the more upsetting impact of dyspraxia has to be the mental impact.
Imagine not being able to keep up with your peers in most areas of your life: at school, you’re always behind because you find handwriting difficult even though you know what you want to say; you go to a birthday party and it’s BMX biking – you can’t ride a bike; all your friends join the local football team but you don’t want to as you find sports too difficult. Uneducated or unaware teachers and coaches may think that your child is lazy leading to tellings off and an unwillingness to help.
Not being able to ‘keep up’ with their friends and then being told off by the adults in their life is going to affect a child’s mental health and in particular their confidence and self-esteem, making them even less likely to try new things.
“He was always very wary of physical things as a toddler – trampolines, scooters. I thought at first it was that he was just a bit more risk averse. He struggled to jump with both legs for quite a while – till about 3-4. He refused to scoot till he was about 4 or so, and even then would hide and try to learn himself but jump off if any other kids came. Again, I didn’t put it down to coordination difficulties at the time – I thought it was about confidence, not wanting to be shown up by his brother.”
How to spot dyspraxia
There are some clear signs that your child may have dyspraxia and your nanny should look out for them too. Here are a few but more can be found on the Dyspraxia Foundation website here.
- Clumsiness and awkwardness – this isn’t just the natural stumbling of a toddler learning to walk, for example, but when children are older.
- Delayed development on skills that require coordination such as bike riding, ball catching and using a knife and fork.
- A difference between a child’s intellectual ability and their reports from school.
- Not wanting to socialise with peers.
- Suffering from poor mental health, as I described.
The steps to take
As dyspraxia is known but not very well, as a parent, you may need to fight for your child to be seen and diagnosed.
At school talk to the teacher and if necessary, make them aware of the condition and what it means. More information can be found on the Dyspraxia Foundation website and my friend found books by Dr Amanda Kirby helpful if they want to learn more. Your child may need to use a keyboard instead of handwriting at school, will need extra help in PE (and changing into PE clothes and back again as buttons and ties require a sequence of coordinated actions) and may require extra time in exams or longer assessments. Due to the lack of confidence, children may need encouragement to speak up in class rather than being overlooked.
Physically, a physio therapist can help with balance and coordination, but it will take practice and, of course, time.
How your nanny can help
Ahead of diagnosis, your nanny could be key in spotting possible signs. We always advocate healthy channels of communication between nannies and families so make sure you listen to what your nanny is telling you. If your nanny writes a diary of their time with your child or children, look for recurring themes of your child’s behaviour.
Another adult outside of family such as a nanny can be invaluable in the case of a child with dyspraxia. It’s someone else to help boost confidence alongside parents and another adult to assist with practising new skills.
If you think your child may have dyspraxia, then do contact your GP first. And if you think you need a nanny who specialises in children with extra needs, read our blog on the subject or simply, get in touch.
Hazel