Dyspraxia

What is dyspraxia?

Dyspraxia is a medical term to describe children who have difficulties carrying out daily activities that require co-ordination of movements, which are out of proportion to the child's age and intelligence. Dyspraxia is an impairment which affects a person's ability to send messages from their brain to their body. It can be associated to problems with language and thought and is sometimes found in people who have other specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia or dyscalculia.

What causes dyspraxia?

The cause is largely unknown; however, current research suggests it is due to an immaturity of the neurone development in the brain. There is no link to clinical neurological abnormality.

What are the symptoms of dyspraxia?

Symptoms to look out for change as a child gets older. In a toddler, a parent should look out for:

Late in reaching milestone, such as rolling over, sitting, crawling and speaking
May not be able to run, jump or catch
Difficulty in keeping friends
Difficulty walking up and down stairs
Does not dress themselves
Frequently falls over
Cannot hold a pencil well
Anxious and easily distracted

In school age children these symptoms will persist, but may well be joined by the following:

Poor at physical education and games
Produces better results when given one to one guidance
Poor attention span
Trouble with maths and writing stories
Difficulty copying from the white board
Immature writing style
Struggles to remember and follow instructions
Poorly organised, for example, following the timetable

How Priory Education Services can help

Priory Education Services operates a network of schools and colleges throughout the country. It is the UK's leading specialist provider of education and care for children and young people aged four to 35 with a wide range of complex learning difficulties and disabilities. These include asperger's syndrome, autistic spectrum disorders, behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Almost all students admitted have a Statement of Special Educational Needs and will have experienced difficulties within mainstream and local authority special schools. Many will have been excluded from school or had problems at home because of their complex and challenging needs and behaviours.

Please click here for further information on the specific special educational needs our schools and colleges can address.

Please click here for more information on Mark College, our school that specialises in Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia.

Contact us to find out if we can help. Telephone 0845 2 774679 or email education@priorygroup.com Lines are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and between 10am and 8pm at the weekends.

Further Help

Dyspraxia Foundation
www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk
01462 454 986

The British Dyslexia Association
www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
0845 251 9002

Young Minds Parent Information Service
www.youngminds.org.uk
0800 018 2138