Dyspraxia in children
Dyspraxia is a common pathology since the prevalence is estimated at around 6% of the school age population with a clear predominance of boys.
Dyspraxia is still very little known, because can be confused with dysgraphia or dyslexia, for example, their manifestations can be confused with a lack of motivation for motor skills or schooling (Mazeau, 2010).
In dyspraxic children the praxis is not done correctly. The gesture is clumsy, lent, but nevertheless requires a significant cognitive cost (Gerard and Brun, 2005).
According to INSERM: children present pathological clumsiness, difficulties in certain sporting activities, more or less disabling dysgraphia, slowness.
According to dalla piazza; dyspraxia corresponds to more or less severe difficulties in planning and coordinating movements, apart from any motor, sensory or lesional impairment (Dala Piazza, 2011).
Different forms:
Dyspraxias have been classified into different categories. Not all specialists recognize this as such, but these categories describe the different forms encountered.
It is common to combine several forms of dyspraxia. Different forms can be combined with different degrees of severity.
Constructive dyspraxia :
Results in difficulties to assemble parts in relation to each other to build a whole.
Example: DIY, sewing, construction games (cubes, lego, puzzles)
Ideational dyspraxia :
Refers to the difficulty of performing a gesture using an object or a tool.
Example: brushing teeth, sewing, using scissors, using a fork, pencils
Ideomotor dyspraxia :
Refers to the difficulty of carrying out symbolic gestures in the absence of manipulation of an object and therefore of difficulty in mimicking or imitating gestures made by others.
Example: “goodbye” with your hand, mime the action of playing the guitar, “shhh” …
Dressing dyspraxia :
Difficulty arranging, orienting clothes when dressing, or slowness in dressing (for example, clothes are put upside down). The child encounters difficulties in using the zipper, buttons and to make its laces.
Orofacial dyspraxia :
Indicates the difficulty in performing facial “gestures”, difficulty in phonation (articulation for example).
Ex: swell the cheeks, blow, whistle, swallow
Not to be confused with dysphasia (oral language disorder).
Dyspraxic dysgraphia :
Refers to the difficulty of writing, due to the lack of automation of writing. Example: irregular spacing between words, malformed letters.
Visuospatial dyspraxia :
It is the association between constructive dyspraxia and:
– an eye disorder.
– A disturbance in the organization of the gesture.
– a disturbance in the organization of space.
Example: fix a line to read, follow the trajectory of an object, search information in a text, read a plan, make a geometric figure with tools.
Words I have learned :
- Gesture = geste
- Dyslexia = dyslexie
- Dysgraphia = dysgraphie
- Lack of motivation = manque de motivation
- Cognitive cost = coût cognitif
- Clumsy = maladroit
- Disturbance = perturbation
Bibliography :
Dalla Piazza, S. (2011). Maladresses et dyspraxies de l’enfant. L’Harmattan.
Gérard, C. L., & Brun, V. (2005). Les dyspraxies de l’enfant. Paris : Masson.
Mazeau, M. (2010). Les dyspraxies: points de repères. Archives de pédiatrie, 17(3), 314-318. Doi : 10.1016/j.arcped.2009.10.016.