Students with dyspraxia: what should a teacher needs to know and to do.
Usually children are very mobile. If there is a child in the class who avoids physical activity and has problems with coordination
Material that will help the teacher better understand the student with dyspraxia.
Usually children are very mobile. If there is a child in the class who avoids physical activity and has problems with coordination and pronunciation, look closely, there may be dyspraxia. A child with this disorder feels like a swindler among the right-handed, as if he is out of sync with the world around him. Such a student needs help to tie his shoelaces, cannot ride a bicycle, and has a handwriting that is difficult to decipher.
What is dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia is a set of movement coordination disorders, such as walking, jumping; hand movements that are necessary for writing, as well as mouth and tongue, which leads to incorrect pronunciation of words.
The reason is that the child's brain does not process information in such a way as to ensure the transmission of neural impulses.
Note if any of the students need more time to learn new skills. Dyspraxia complicates the acquisition of writing and mathematics skills. A child with dyspraxia spends more time writing a text and has difficulty planning. Children with movement problems often have concomitant health problems, such as ADHD, dysgraphia, and autism.
Some adults wonder if their children have motor problems. No, but exercise can improve the condition.
Symptoms of dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is a complex disorder that manifests itself on four levels:
- Fine motor skills
- Great motor skills
- Motor planning
- Coordination
Signs of dyspraxia may appear depending on the age of the child. Consider them by age. It is important to know that not every child with dyspraxia will have all the symptoms at once.
Symptoms in primary school
In elementary school, dyspraxia can be hidden behind a student's refusal to play with a constructor or a spatial puzzle. Or the child may often come across objects or people. Take a closer look at it. Notice how the student pronounces the words. Due to dyspraxia, speech can be slow or difficult to understand. Or the child may have problems with the pace, volume and intonation of speech. Due to movement disorders, it is difficult for such a student to learn to jump, he often drops objects and makes efforts to hold them. It is difficult for a student with dyspraxia to draw and write, he is poorly oriented, where right and left.
Symptoms in high school
In high school, dyspraxia can be expressed in poor handwriting, as muscle disorders interfere with holding a pen and memorizing pens and memorizing letter outlines. It is difficult for children to copy information from the board and memorize and follow instructions. Due to impaired coordination of eye and hand movements, students with dyspraxia avoid physical education lessons. Dyspraxia also makes it difficult to move objects from one place to another, such as playing chess.
Symptoms in high school
The child may be less sensitive to nonverbal signals from others, poorly understands the emotions of the interlocutor, so his behavior in the company of peers may seem unusual. It is difficult for a student with dyspraxia to memorize large amounts of information and a statement plan, so they often repeat the same statement. They have frequent mood swings.
Types of dyspraxia
Dyspraxia affects different types of movements. There are the following categories of dyspraxia:
- Constructive dyspraxia: the child has a violation of the understanding of spatial relationships, so it is difficult for him to use elements of building constructors and draw geometric shapes.
- Oromotor dyspraxia, or apraxia, interferes with the coordination of muscle movements needed to pronounce words. It is difficult for a child with this type of dyspraxia to talk, it is difficult to understand.
- Psychomotor dyspraxia: It is difficult for a child to perform a sequence of movements, such as brushing teeth or washing dishes.
- Ideomotor dyspraxia: the student has difficulty performing one-step motor tasks, such as combing hair.
The diagnosis of "dyspraxia" is made by specialists. If parents or teachers suspect this disorder, they should seek the advice of a pediatrician, school psychologist or speech therapist. Early diagnosis is very important. The type of disease is determined and the strategy of treatment and rehabilitation is concluded accordingly.
Causes of dyspraxia
In dyspraxia, the human nerve cells that control the muscles do not work properly: they do not conduct all the impulses or form the wrong connections.
Among the causes of dyspraxia, scientists identify genetic predisposition, familial heredity, pathological pregnancy, including the effects of toxic substances on the child and mother, intrauterine asphyxia.
When working with children with dyspraxia, the teacher should keep in mind that muscle disorders complicate drawing, writing, physical activity. The teacher should involve the child with dyspraxia in moving games and puzzles. And be sure to praise your child for his or her small victories!
