Supporting school children with Dyspraxia

By Emma Cutler

What's to come ?

• What is Dyspraxia

• How the children have communication difficulties and how to support this.

• How to Improvement the child's overall physical ability

• How a professional should support the child's cognitive ability

• Dyspraxia a hidden disability

• Conclusion

What is Dyspraxia ?

• Dyspraxia is a life long condition. It is the loss of the ability to co-ordinate and perform certain movements such as writing.

• It is hard to estimate how many children are affected by this condition however a study in 2009

• showed that 1 in every 20 children between the ages of seven and eight may be affected by the condition in some form.(It is also thought to be more common in boys than girls

• And can sometimes be passed down through families.• (NHS 2014). (Doherty and Hughes, 2013).

Communication difficulties and support

• Children with the condition may struggle to socialise with others. This is because they may be corrected on their actions and their overall behaviour. This can have some effects on the child's social skills as it may mean :

• They may struggle to make friends and form relationships

• Lack confidence

• And a lack of self-belief which could lead to poor eye-contact

• They may show poor body language which can show their overall fear and anxiety and social isolation.

• (Dixon and Addy.,2004)

Communication difficulties and support continued …

• some children may suffer with verbal dyspraxia which means they will struggle communicating and may struggle with engagement, despite being able to respond to some questions. Children with this form of dyspraxia may struggle more to communicate when they are put under pressure or put on the spot in certain situations.

• The working professional should encourage the child to speak and take part in conversation. However they may need help with guidance when communicating such as when to listen when to speak. praise and encouragement should be used so the child will have a self-esteem and confidence boost

• The child may be able to attend groups where they can talk share thoughts and ideas with children of the same age who share the same condition as themselves this may help the child to bond and form relationships in a comfortable manor.

• (Dixon and Addy.,2004)

physical ability and support

• Unfortunately the child may be less active then their fellow peers. This is because they may have lower fitness and may find it hard to move.

• Because of this they are least likely to take part in full PE lessons. Which may also lead them to not take part in some physical leisure activities out of school which could lead to them becoming less active and more prone to weight gain and becoming overweight.

• This can affect their hand/eye or their eye/foot co-ordination.

• their overall balance strength and speed may also be affected.

physical ability and support continued...

• Throwing and catching games or games involving bats and balls are perfect activities to help the child this should be

• done as part of a team or with a small group of friends to promote inclusion.

• This can also help with their hand/eye co-ordination as well as their eye/foot co-ordination

• This can help the whole use of the body control and force of rhythm and timing

• increase their reaction speech

• And their overall balance whilst moving. (This can also help them to ride a bike)

Cognitive ability

• This is the mental process of understanding judgement memory and a overall Thought process.

• For some children their ability to make decisions may be poor or slow,.

• This can also effective their overall problem solving and making strategies.

• Can also link to the controlment of their physical moment as performing a physical skills can take a lot to think about ( this can be known as a lot of energy thinking)

• (DyspraxiaFoundation.,2016)

Cognitive ability continued ….

• The child may suffer with a short attention span and become easily distracted in open planned settings. As well as disturb other children in the classroom.

• It is wise for the professional to avoid disturbing the child whilst they are working as they will begin to lose focus on what they are doing.

• The classroom environment should not have equipment that could easily distract the child from their work such as fluorescent lights and fluttering ceiling displays.

• For all the children a no-disturbance culture should be introduced as this will help to teach them respect and to respect each others work space. this can also be used to promote inclusion.

• (DyspraxiaFoundation.,2016)

Dyspraxia a hidden disability

• Dyspraxia is one of a recognised hidden disabilities because this is known as hidden disability it can bring many challenges and difficulties to “children who look and appear normal”.

• “Because the child appears normal some professionals may not understand the child's condition.”

• Only a small amount of children will be recognised with dyspraxia in main stream schools and only a few of these children will receive a statement of special needs. This is normally happens through the use of SENCO

• However the media has helped to promote more awareness of the condition children's shows such as Tree Fu Tom. This show provides occupational therapy for the children in a fun and positive way.

• (Dixon and Addy.,2004)

Conclusion

• To conclude we see that dyspraxia is a life long condition that can effect a child in different ways. But with the right support and help they can achieve and learn. Activities with other children who also suffer with the same condition will help them with their self-esteem and confidence.

Reference list

Doherty, J. and Hughes, M. (2013) Child development: Theory and practice 0-11. 2nd edn. United Kingdom: Pearson Education• Atter, Elizabeth, Drew, Sharon, and Drew, Sharon. Can't Play Won't Play.

London, GB: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 9 May 2016.

• Copyright © 2008. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. All rights reserved.• Dixon, G. and Addy, L.M. (2004) Making inclusion work for children with

dyspraxia: Practical strategies for teachers. New York, NY: Routledge Falmer.http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Dyspraxia-(childhood)/Pages/Introduction.aspx (date accessed 15/3/16) http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/dyspraxia-children/classroom-guidelines-schools-teachers/ (date accessed 10/5/16)