Dyspraxia is sometimes known as motor learning difficulties, perceptual-motor dysfunction, and developmental coordination disorder (DCD). This condition develops during childhood and continues into adulthood. Depending on the severity, dyspraxia can affect your quality of life and independence.
Verywell / Michela Buttignol
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What Is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia means a deficit in carrying out coordinated movements and actions. The diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is used when symptoms begin during early childhood.
Apraxia vs. Dyspraxia
Apraxiais defined as the inability to carry out purposeful actions. Adults may be diagnosed with apraxia as a result ofstroke, dementia, a brain tumor, or other types of brain damage. These conditions can lead to difficulty with self-care tasks, such as eating or shaving.
Most of the time, adults who are diagnosed with apraxia have a partial loss of ability rather than a complete loss.
What Is Apraxia of Speech?
Dyspraxia vs. Ataxia
Ataxiais another neurological problem that can be confused with dyspraxia. These conditions are not the same. Ataxia is a lack of coordination, with the inability to control simple movements.
It can be part of a neurodevelopmental condition that begins to show symptoms during childhood, such ascerebral palsy, or can occur due to neurological conditions that develop after a person has already gained normal coordination and mobility.
Stroke, dementia, and neurodegenerative movement disorders that occur during adulthood are common causes of ataxia.
Dyspraxia vs DyslexiaDyslexiais a learning disability distinct from dyspraxia that begins during childhood. Symptoms include difficulty interpreting written symbols, such as letters and numbers, and it can also involve difficulty understanding or processing spoken language.
Dyspraxia vs Dyslexia
Dyslexiais a learning disability distinct from dyspraxia that begins during childhood. Symptoms include difficulty interpreting written symbols, such as letters and numbers, and it can also involve difficulty understanding or processing spoken language.
Symptoms of Dyspraxia
Routine actions, including walking or purposefully using the hands and arms, can also be challenging.
Dyspraxia Symptoms in Children
Children may begin to show signs of dyspraxia at a very early age, but sometimes, the condition might not be obvious until it is clear that a child is not meeting certain motor or self-care milestones.
Very Early Childhood
Very young children who have dyspraxia might show impairment in learning to crawl, reaching for objects, feeding themselves, or interacting with toys.Your child’s pediatrician can examine your child and observe whether their movements and actions indicate a developmental problem.
Early Childhood
As children reach an age where they become more independent, a child who has dyspraxia might not develop age-appropriate skills, like taking off their socks, shoes, and jacket or brushing their own teeth.
Later in Childhood
As children mature, they are expected to gain more complicated skills, such as riding a bike, learning how to play sports and games, and taking on tasks around the house, like making the bed.
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Dyspraxia Symptoms in Adults
Adults who had dyspraxia as children will often continue to experience challenges with motor actions. Interventions and occupational therapy can help children, young adults, and adults gain and improve many skills.Consistent therapy and skill-building may be necessary throughout life.
What Causes Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia is considered a congenital (present at birth) or neurodevelopmental problem with several different potential causes. It could develop due to genetic, environmental, or impaired brain development.
Several genetic changes have been associated with dyspraxia. De novo genetic changes are those that occur for the first time in the affected person’s genes. These changes were not present in their parents' genes and were not inherited.
Many of the genes linked to dyspraxia occur in only a small number of people and have not been found in their parents, suggesting that these are de novo changes.Risk factors for these genetic changes have not been identified.
How Dyspraxia Is Diagnosed
The diagnosis of dyspraxia involves a team of healthcare professionals. They can evaluate your or your child’s medical history, risk factors, and abilities.
A physician, usually a pediatricneurologist, will consider the underlying medical issues to reach a diagnosis. This process may involvegenetic testingorbrain imaging tests.
Dyspraxia may occur alongside another neurodevelopmental condition, such asautismorattention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). Generally, a developmental coordination disorder (DCD) diagnosis means that the symptoms are not part of a neurodevelopmental condition affecting the brain structure, such as cerebral palsy orneurofibromatosis.
An occupational therapist or physical therapist will examine the person’s abilities to identify which tasks they can plan and carry out and which tasks they may have difficulty completing. Testing can include an assessment of straightforward actions, such as walking, hopping, or jumping, and can advance to more complicated actions, such as tying shoes or brushing teeth.
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Treatment Options for Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia treatment can be approached in several ways. If you or your child has this condition, lifelong therapy may be necessary.Therapeutic interventions would be adjusted depending on any changes in ability or new expectations that develop as a person gets older.
No medication or surgery can be used for the treatment of dyspraxia. The interventions are all active therapies that require your participation or your child’s participation.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy requires working with a therapist to help build practical day-to-day skills. If you or your child is going to participate in occupational therapy, you would work with a therapist and also continue exercises to practice the skills at home.
Speech and Language Therapy
Sometimes, dyspraxia can make it difficult to coordinate speech. Working with a speech therapist involves a comprehensive assessment of speaking skills and language, with an ongoing exercise program to develop the ability to communicate in an understandable and fluent manner.
Perceptual Motor Training
One of the challenges of dyspraxia is difficulty in perceiving the outside world. Perceptual motor training can help people receive feedback from the environment around them and respond to it.This can involve learning how to describe how an object feels and talking through the best way to control the objects around you safely.
Equine Therapy for Dyspraxia
Equinetherapy involves working with horses. It can help develop the ability to care for and ride a horse and understand how interacting with the horse affects it. Equine therapy allows the practice of motor skills.It is also known to relieve stress and promote relaxation, which can help people with dyspraxia function without the interference that comes from anxiety and stress.
Active Play
Active play is a type of therapy that involves engaging in enjoyable and interactive activities. Sometimes, active play has a directed skill set.It also can involve spontaneous actions that can help you build abilities, such as moving from one activity to another or deciding how you want to interact with objects or other people.
Risk Factors for Dyspraxia
This condition may be associated with impaired brain development during pregnancy or health problems during pregnancy. There may be an increased risk of developing dyspraxia if a family member has the condition.
Parenting a Child With Dyspraxia
If your child has been diagnosed with dyspraxia, they can benefit from maintaining long-term intervention with healthcare providers. Your child may need special accommodations at school, anindividualized educational plan(IEP), and may also receive a recommendation for interventional therapy, such as occupational or speech therapy.
Work with a healthcare team who can coordinate and communicate well with you to provide information about your child’s condition and help guide you regarding expectations and progress.
What to Expect
Children with dyspraxia have a range of abilities and outcomes. Your child may be able to learn some skills and eventually function independently.However, some children may have substantial limitations to their potential learning ability.
Learning at Home
As your child begins to notice they have challenges with motor tasks, it can affect their confidence and emotional development.It can be difficult for you, as a parent, to guide your child and provide them with tools for confidence and emotional stability as they cope with their condition.
Reach out to professionals who are experienced with DCD so they can help provide you and your child with practical emotional support to manage expectations and maintain a positive outlook.
Summary
Dyspraxia, often also described as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), is a condition that makes it challenging to carry out motor tasks. People with dyspraxia experience difficulty with planning and coordinating simple and challenging motor tasks, such as walking, writing, or using tools. The condition emerges during early childhood and can vary in severity.
Ongoing support and therapy can help a child who’s been diagnosed with dyspraxia maintain the best possible outcome as they grow up. If your child is living with dyspraxia, seek professional support to obtain guidance and treatment for physical, emotional, psychological, and cognitive challenges.
You can have a better outcome if you work with a multidisciplinary team that can evaluate abilities and limitations and work with you to help optimize function.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Onesimo R, Sforza E, Trevisan V, et al.From feeding challenges to oral-motor dyspraxia: a comprehensive description of 10 new cases with CTNNB1 syndrome.Genes (Basel). 2023;14(10):1843. doi:10.3390/genes14101843National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Developmental dyspraxia.Gao J, Song W, Zhong Y, et al.Children with developmental coordination disorders: a review of approaches to assessment and intervention.Front Neurol.2024;15:1359955. doi:10.3389/fneur.2024.1359955Velghe S, Rameckers E, Meyns P, et al.Effects of a highly intensive balance therapy camp in children with developmental coordination disorder - an intervention protocol.Res Dev Disabil.2024;147:104694. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104694Gentle J, Shakur A, Ivanova M, Gilligan-Lee K.Navigation abilities and spatial anxiety in individuals with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD/dyspraxia).Res Dev Disabil.2024;146:104672. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104672Learning Disabilities Explained.Equine therapy for dyspraxia.Scopa C, Contalbrigo L, Greco A, Lanatà A, Scilingo EP, Baragli P.Emotional transfer in human-horse interaction: new perspectives on equine assisted interventions.Animals(Basel). 2019;9(12):1030. doi:10.3390/ani9121030Ghorbanzadeh B, Kirazci S, Badicu G.Comparison of the effect of teaching games for understanding, sport education, combined and linear pedagogy on motor proficiency of children with developmental coordination disorder.Front Psychol.2024;15:1385289. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1385289Major R, Jackson C, Wareham J, Pidcock J.Supporting neurodivergent nursing students in their practice placements.Nurs Stand.2024. doi:10.7748/ns.2024.e12262
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Onesimo R, Sforza E, Trevisan V, et al.From feeding challenges to oral-motor dyspraxia: a comprehensive description of 10 new cases with CTNNB1 syndrome.Genes (Basel). 2023;14(10):1843. doi:10.3390/genes14101843National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Developmental dyspraxia.Gao J, Song W, Zhong Y, et al.Children with developmental coordination disorders: a review of approaches to assessment and intervention.Front Neurol.2024;15:1359955. doi:10.3389/fneur.2024.1359955Velghe S, Rameckers E, Meyns P, et al.Effects of a highly intensive balance therapy camp in children with developmental coordination disorder - an intervention protocol.Res Dev Disabil.2024;147:104694. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104694Gentle J, Shakur A, Ivanova M, Gilligan-Lee K.Navigation abilities and spatial anxiety in individuals with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD/dyspraxia).Res Dev Disabil.2024;146:104672. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104672Learning Disabilities Explained.Equine therapy for dyspraxia.Scopa C, Contalbrigo L, Greco A, Lanatà A, Scilingo EP, Baragli P.Emotional transfer in human-horse interaction: new perspectives on equine assisted interventions.Animals(Basel). 2019;9(12):1030. doi:10.3390/ani9121030Ghorbanzadeh B, Kirazci S, Badicu G.Comparison of the effect of teaching games for understanding, sport education, combined and linear pedagogy on motor proficiency of children with developmental coordination disorder.Front Psychol.2024;15:1385289. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1385289Major R, Jackson C, Wareham J, Pidcock J.Supporting neurodivergent nursing students in their practice placements.Nurs Stand.2024. doi:10.7748/ns.2024.e12262
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Onesimo R, Sforza E, Trevisan V, et al.From feeding challenges to oral-motor dyspraxia: a comprehensive description of 10 new cases with CTNNB1 syndrome.Genes (Basel). 2023;14(10):1843. doi:10.3390/genes14101843National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Developmental dyspraxia.Gao J, Song W, Zhong Y, et al.Children with developmental coordination disorders: a review of approaches to assessment and intervention.Front Neurol.2024;15:1359955. doi:10.3389/fneur.2024.1359955Velghe S, Rameckers E, Meyns P, et al.Effects of a highly intensive balance therapy camp in children with developmental coordination disorder - an intervention protocol.Res Dev Disabil.2024;147:104694. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104694Gentle J, Shakur A, Ivanova M, Gilligan-Lee K.Navigation abilities and spatial anxiety in individuals with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD/dyspraxia).Res Dev Disabil.2024;146:104672. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104672Learning Disabilities Explained.Equine therapy for dyspraxia.Scopa C, Contalbrigo L, Greco A, Lanatà A, Scilingo EP, Baragli P.Emotional transfer in human-horse interaction: new perspectives on equine assisted interventions.Animals(Basel). 2019;9(12):1030. doi:10.3390/ani9121030Ghorbanzadeh B, Kirazci S, Badicu G.Comparison of the effect of teaching games for understanding, sport education, combined and linear pedagogy on motor proficiency of children with developmental coordination disorder.Front Psychol.2024;15:1385289. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1385289Major R, Jackson C, Wareham J, Pidcock J.Supporting neurodivergent nursing students in their practice placements.Nurs Stand.2024. doi:10.7748/ns.2024.e12262
Onesimo R, Sforza E, Trevisan V, et al.From feeding challenges to oral-motor dyspraxia: a comprehensive description of 10 new cases with CTNNB1 syndrome.Genes (Basel). 2023;14(10):1843. doi:10.3390/genes14101843
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Developmental dyspraxia.
Gao J, Song W, Zhong Y, et al.Children with developmental coordination disorders: a review of approaches to assessment and intervention.Front Neurol.2024;15:1359955. doi:10.3389/fneur.2024.1359955
Velghe S, Rameckers E, Meyns P, et al.Effects of a highly intensive balance therapy camp in children with developmental coordination disorder - an intervention protocol.Res Dev Disabil.2024;147:104694. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104694
Gentle J, Shakur A, Ivanova M, Gilligan-Lee K.Navigation abilities and spatial anxiety in individuals with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD/dyspraxia).Res Dev Disabil.2024;146:104672. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104672
Learning Disabilities Explained.Equine therapy for dyspraxia.
Scopa C, Contalbrigo L, Greco A, Lanatà A, Scilingo EP, Baragli P.Emotional transfer in human-horse interaction: new perspectives on equine assisted interventions.Animals(Basel). 2019;9(12):1030. doi:10.3390/ani9121030
Ghorbanzadeh B, Kirazci S, Badicu G.Comparison of the effect of teaching games for understanding, sport education, combined and linear pedagogy on motor proficiency of children with developmental coordination disorder.Front Psychol.2024;15:1385289. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1385289
Major R, Jackson C, Wareham J, Pidcock J.Supporting neurodivergent nursing students in their practice placements.Nurs Stand.2024. doi:10.7748/ns.2024.e12262
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