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What is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia, also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a markedly slower development of physical coordination in a person in comparison with their peers. People with dyspraxia have trouble planning and executing movements in their brain as opposed to having other problems that could also appear as clumsiness such as having weak muscles or difficulties with seeing or hearing.
Individuals with dyspraxia can struggle with gross motor skills, i.e. large movements such as swinging of the arms during sports or walking and/or they can struggle with fine motor skills, i.e. small, delicate movements such as holding a pencil to write, tying shoes, or speaking.
Dyspraxia can appear in isolation or it can be accompanied by any number of other developmental differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or any other condition. However, there is a strong correlation between dyspraxia and ADHD where approximately 50% of individuals with dyspraxia also fit the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis. The reverse correlation is even stronger with some estimates showing that upwards of 89% of people with ADHD also qualify for a diagnosis of dyspraxia.
This strong connection between the two developmental conditions shows that the difficulty in planning and organizing movements can often spread into difficulty planning and organizing in other areas. Because of this, it is often better to look at all of the issues a person is having trouble with rather than trying to simplify their problems into a single “diagnosis”.
Symptoms of Dyspraxia in the Classroom
Dyspraxia is not always considered a learning difficulty, but there are several symptoms of the condition that can definitely affect learning and classroom participation. Teachers of students diagnosed with dyspraxia report that their students:
- Have difficulty speaking, displaying symptoms such as stuttering and other speech impediments.
- Struggle to write neatly and often hold their pencils and pens in a nonstandard way.
- Often trip, drop things, and could be generally described as “clumsy”.
- Try to avoid sports, especially competitive team sports where their difficulties could lead to social stigma.
- Take a long time to get their things out when preparing for class and when putting their things away, especially when putting things into boxes, bags, and other containers with zippers, latches, or buttons that can slow them down.
Targeted Interventions for Students with Dyspraxia
Allow them writing breaks.
Writing by hand for a long time can be tiring for any student especially when not used to writing by hand, but with dyspraxia, this struggle can be multiplied. Their poor coordination and dexterity can lead to them gripping the pencil or pen too hard and tiring out their muscles quickly.
Teachers who see students regularly stopping writing to shake their hand may get frustrated that it seems like the student is spending more time shaking their hand than they are actually using it. However, rather than encouraging the student to “power through” or “get over it”, teachers should suggest useful things students can do during periods where their hand needs a rest.
Having the student go through periods of writing, and then taking a break to edit, do further reading, or look for sources online. This approach allows them to take the break they may need while also not wasting their time complaining about their hand hurting.
Teaching multiple approaches or styles of researching, writing, and editing can help students to find their own pace and flow when doing written work. This will help them to find ways to be effective with the use of their time but also be kind to their body when it truly needs a break that doesn’t come from laziness or boredom.
Consider ergonomic writing instruments.
Sometimes small changes to their writing implements can make a big difference for students with dyspraxia. Some students with dyspraxia find it easier to hold larger pens and pencils or ones that have a spongy grip attached to them.
These specially designed pens and grips are built to be easier to hold, especially for those with coordination and movement issues such as dyspraxia, parkinsons, or arthritis.
These implements are often simply small pieces of plastic or rubber and are not expensive. This makes them an easy thing to try and they are a concrete strategy that can show students and their parents that the teacher has their child’s needs in mind.
Have them type when possible.
Writing by hand is becoming less and less necessary in our technologically integrated and advanced society. Whenever possible, it may be best to let students with dyspraxia type out their work rather than writing with a pen or pencil.
While this may not always be financially or practically possible, typing is a far more important skill for the child to learn rather than handwriting. This will help them in their work life where they are far more likely to be typing long hours rather than doing long sessions of writing text by hand.
While the skill of handwriting should not be completely forgotten, most classroom activities are focused on other learning objectives and students having to spend so much time making their handwriting neat may miss important notes or struggle to complete tasks in time.
Really, if a student can fill out forms by hand in a legible manner, this is sufficient to have reached a functional level of handwriting. If doctors can get away with their chicken scratch handwriting and be functional adults, teachers shouldn’t stress about students having messy handwriting.
In severe cases, voice-to-text can help bridge the gap.
In some more severe cases of dyspraxia students may truly have a difficulty even making legible letters, tying their shoes, or buttoning their buttons. In this case, it is far more likely that the issue is going to require outside support and the teacher should begin communicating with an occupational therapist (OT) to come up with a plan.
While the OT is working on helping the student gain some basic line creation skills, the teacher should try to find ways for the student to continue learning alongside other students in a way where their handwriting will not get in the way. For this, voice-to-text programs can help students write in a way that is fast, efficient, and doesn’t tire them out at all.
When a computer or voice-to-text program is not available or not financially possible, a teacher can scribe their students work, but this is definitely not a long term solution. These measures should only be seen as a stop-gap method and not the way the student is to continue their work indefinitely.
While there are many situations where the student may be able to use voice-to-text programs, there are plenty of situations when using your voice to write out loud is inappropriate or impractical. Scribes especially ensure that the student will never achieve any independence in their writing.
In truly severe cases, teachers and OTs should focus on building independence through slow mindful progress using tools to help students achieve alongside their peers whilst they improve their coordination. While improvements may be painfully slow in students with severe dyspraxia, this is no excuse to give up on them or say they simply will never be capable. All students can improve and increase their independence with the right strategies and the proper tools.
Focus on strength building over coordination in PE.
In exercise classes, such as PE, students with dyspraxia can really struggle to participate. While they will struggle with the coordination activities, the main problem will often be the social stigma they fear from their peers.
Competitive team sports are the most difficult for these types of students as they require coordination and mistakes mean disappointing a whole team of people you interact with on a daily basis. Whenever possible, try to focus more on individual strength and endurance building activities.
While things like running, yoga, or weight lifting may also not be “easy” for students with dyspraxia, the solitary and noncompetitive nature of the activities lower the social pressure while still keeping a focus on their physical fitness. While they should not be exempt from anything coordination related that makes them uncomfortable, the coach also doesn’t want PE to become a daily dread for the student either.
Coaches should find a balance between helping students with dyspraxia to develop their coordination skills with allowing them to exercise in isolation. Focusing on building their individual strength will help them stay fit without making them feel that any failure will disappoint everyone around them.
Conclusion
While dyspraxia may slow down students in school, especially during certain tasks, there are plenty of interventions teachers can put in place that can help them achieve at a high level alongside their peers. While their physical coordination should not be ignored or undeveloped, most classroom activities are focused on other learning objectives, and so an OT is the best person to get involved when students with dyspraxia need focused help in this area.
Simple interventions such as rubber grips, computers, and voice-to-text programs can help bridge the gap in the classroom so that they can keep up with their classmates without issue. While they may require a little patience and occasionally the teacher may need to step in to help with a delicate cutting craft or dissection activity, independence should be the end goal for all students.
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