Dyspraxia

There are three types of dyspraxia:

• Motor dyspraxia: challenges with skills like skipping, dressing, or writing and other fine motor skills
• Oral dyspraxia: challenges with tongue and mouth movements
• Verbal dyspraxia: speech challenges, a spectrum of speech issues that can change from day to day.

Most developmental disabilities are thought to be caused by a complex mix of factors. These factors include genetics, parental health and behaviors (such as smoking and drinking) during pregnancy, complications during birth, infections the mother might have during pregnancy or the baby might have very early in life, and exposure of the mother or child to high levels of environmental toxins, such as lead. For some developmental disabilities, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, which is caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy, we know the cause. But for most, we don’t.

Some studies show a link between premature birth and dyspraxia, though there is no one cause. Disruption in the nerve pathways in the brain, genetics, accidents or trauma to the brain, and events such as illness or stroke are all potential causes.

Developmental disabilities begin any time during the developmental period and usually last throughout a person’s lifetime. Most developmental disabilities begin before a baby is born, but some can happen after birth because of injury, infection or other factors.

During the evaluation process, children are asked to perform a range of physical actions to test their gross and fine motor skills, coordination, balance and visuomotor integration. The specific actions will vary based on the child’s age, and the evaluator may use different assessments, including the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Evaluators will focus on assessing five core areas: strength, balance, coordination, visuomotor skills and fine motor/handwriting skills.

There is a wide range of learning challenges that come with a dyspraxia diagnosis. Symptoms vary and may include:

• Poor balance and coordination
• Clumsiness
• Vision problems
• Perception difficulties
• Emotional and behavioral problems
• Difficulty with reading, writing and speaking
• Poor social skills
• Poor posture
• Poor short-term memory

Assessments utilize a range of screenings, including the Romberg test (balance and proprioception), the distal proprioception test, which asks the patient to repeat specific body movements, sequential finger-touching (touching each finger to the thumb, one at a time) or the thumb-finding test, in which the patient must touch one thumb with the other, then their forefinger, while eyes are closed.

Children with learning disorders may feel frustrated that they cannot master a subject despite trying hard, and they may act out, act helpless or withdraw. Learning disorders can also be present with emotional or behavioral disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or anxiety. The combination of problems can make it particularly hard for a child to succeed in school. Properly diagnosing each disorder is crucial so that the child can get the right kind of help for each.

Many children may struggle in school with some topics or skills from time to time. When children try hard and still struggle with a specific set of skills over time, it could be a sign of a learning disorder. Having a learning disorder means that a child has difficulty in one or more areas of learning, even when overall intelligence or motivation is not affected.

Children with a displayed lack of achievement may be diagnosed just as commonly as those of average or above-average intelligence. Discrepancies may exist from one type of diagnosis to another, with variations depending on the individual. Learning disabilities and deficiencies in information processing can make learning and communication challenging or impossible.

Treatment is symptomatic and supportive and may include occupational and speech therapy, and "cueing" or other forms of communication such as using pictures and hand gestures. Many children with the disorder require special education.

Children with learning disorders often need extra help and instruction that are specialized for them. Having a learning disorder can qualify a child for special education services in school. Schools usually do their own testing for learning disorders to see if a child needs intervention. An evaluation by a healthcare professional is needed if there are other concerns about the child’s behavior or emotions. Parents, healthcare providers and the school can work together to find the right referrals and treatment.

The most common treatment for learning disabilities is special education. Specially trained teachers may perform a formal assessment to understand the child’s academic and intellectual potential. They will also look at the level of academic performance. Once the evaluation is complete, the basic approach is to teach learning skills by building on the child’s abilities and strengths while correcting disabilities and weaknesses. Other professionals such as speech and language therapists also may help. Some medications may help the child learn by enhancing attention and concentration. Psychological therapies may also be used.

Developmental dyspraxia is a lifelong disorder. Many individuals are able to compensate for their disabilities through occupational and speech therapy.

To develop a better understanding of your diagnosis, consider participating in a clinical trial so clinicians and scientists can learn more about learning disabilities and related disorders. Clinical research uses human volunteers to help researchers learn more about a disorder and perhaps find better ways to safely detect, treat or prevent disease.

All types of volunteers are needed—those who are healthy or may have an illness or disease—of all different ages, sexes, races and ethnicities to ensure that study results apply to as many people as possible, and that treatments will be safe and effective for everyone who will use them.

For information about participating in clinical research, visit NIH Clinical Research Trials and You. Learn about clinical trials currently looking for participants at Clinicaltrials.gov.