Dyspraxia, sometimes referred to as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), is a hidden neurological disorder that affects an individual’s fine and gross motor skills. Often diagnosed in early childhood (and sometimes in adulthood), dyspraxia may affect all areas of development surrounding ideation, motor planning, and execution. A person with dyspraxia may experience ‘clumsiness’, a delay in early childhood development, and demonstrate organisational difficulties. Difficulties can impact simple motor skills such as waving, eating and walking, or more complex sequences such as brushing one’s teeth, tying one’s shoelaces or catching a ball.

Dyspraxia isn’t an intellectual disability, nor is it a learning disability. For those with dyspraxia, learning often isn’t an issue and dyspraxia can affect people with high, average, and low intelligence alike.

Essentially, they are the same thing, with different terms. DCD is more widely used in the US and Europe. Dyspraxia is the preferred term in New Zealand, but the two terms are interchangeable.

As dyspraxia occurs on a continuum, ranging from mild to severe, each dyspraxic individual experiences symptoms differently. Symptoms also vary across age-groups.

The cause of dyspraxia is unknown, but we do know that dyspraxic people are born with the condition. Research has shown that dyspraxic individuals have no clinical neurological abnormalities, but differences may have something to do with how neurons develop in the brain.

No ‘dyspraxic gene’ has been identified. However, research indicates where one case of dyspraxia exists in a family line; others may also be present, especially in the male family members.

Dyslexia is a condition that affects a person’s ability to perceive 2D symbols like letters and numbers, thereby impacting their ability to read, write, and spell. On the other hand, dyspraxia is a condition that affects motor skills coordination, planning, ideation, and execution. While they are different conditions, both can affect an individual’s ability to:

• Learn and socialise
• Maintain focus
• Develop organisational skills
• Learn new skills
• Follow and remember instructions.

Before seeking a dyspraxia diagnosis, it’s important to visit your local doctor so they can rule out any medical conditions that may be mimicking dyspraxic symptoms. From there, your medical practitioner can refer you to a specialist, such as Master Dyslexia, for treatment and dyspraxia solutions. As with most conditions, it’s better if you can diagnose and treat dyspraxia early so children have the best support systems in place throughout their education and life. However, if you don’t get your dyspraxia diagnosis until adulthood, the Davis tools taught through Master Dyslexia can help you manage your dyspraxia.

There are three different types of dyspraxia, but some individuals can experience symptoms from two or even all three areas.

• Motor: Causes problems with things like writing, dressing, or skipping
• Verbal: Causes problems with speech
• Oral: Causes problems with movements of the mouth and tongue.

There are many types of dyspraxia treatment available, all of which are designed to help dyspraxic people manage their condition and thrive in their educational, work, and social lives.

• Occupational therapy. If an individual’s dyspraxia severely disrupts their day-to-day lives, an occupational therapist can help identify their strengths and create practical solutions to improve independence. Occupational therapists will work with people of all ages and backgrounds, assisting people with basic tasks, work or school, social activities, and being active members of their community.
• Speech and language therapy. A speech pathologist can assess dyspraxia-affected speech to implement a treatment plan and facilitate more effective communication.
• Perceptual motor training. Designed to improve a child’s language, visual, movement, and auditory skills, perceptual motor training asks children to complete a series of tasks that become more advanced. This way, the child is challenged appropriately, based on their existing abilities.
• The Davis Tools for Dyspraxia. At Master Dyslexia, the Davis Tools are used to help people with dyspraxia learn to function the same as their non-dyspraxic peers.

The Davis Tools for Dyspraxia is a tried and tested set of tools designed to help people based in the Wellington region with dyspraxia.

• It’s personalised. In a free initial consultation, I get to know a dyspraxic individual to ensure the program will work for them. I then focus on the individual’s strengths and challenges, developing a tailored program addressing a specific set of goals. As someone who grew up with dyspraxia, I have a first-hand understanding of the challenges that face my clients.
• It focuses on core skills. The Davis Tools for Dyspraxia address focus, relaxation, energy management, and the core concepts of change, consequence, time, sequence, order, and disorder. Each of these concepts is mastered in clay and then observed and experienced in the real world, becoming a part of the individual’s identity.
• We can focus on additional skills. If needed to achieve an individual’s goals, we can incorporate skills such as;
  • Organisation and sequencing skills
  • Ball skills
  • Riding bikes or scooters
  • Tying laces
  • Handwriting
  • Organising essays
  • Solving puzzles
  • Organising rooms or desks.
• Comprehensive support is provided. Every person who undergoes the Davis Tools for Dyspraxia program will have access to unlimited phone and email support and three follow-up sessions with me, to support their ongoing development and use of their tools.