Transcript Spotting signs of Dyslexia & Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia
(Developmental Coordination Disorder)
Dr. Judy Turner
Dr Angela Taylor
Chartered Psychologists
Content of Session
• What is dyspraxia?
• Case studies
• What are the underlying causes of these
difficulties?
• Useful strategies
• Time for discussion
How might it feel to have
dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia = difficulty with actions
• Dyspraxia is a motor learning difficulty that
can affect planning of movements and coordination as a result of brain messages
not being accurately transmitted to the
body (NHS Direct, 2008).
• Complex neurological condition
• Difficulties vary between individuals
Co-morbidity
Dyspraxia is often found in students who
also have:
• Dyslexia
• ADHD
• Specific Language Disorders – receptive
or expressive
• Aspergers syndrome
Case Study- Joe
• Joe -22 year old 3rd year student of Politics
• History of underachievement at school
• Extra help with handwriting in Junior
school
• 1st time assessment
• Arrived an hour early so as not to be late
Joe -Academic difficulties
• Difficulties with time management
• All coursework late
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Spends more time working than friends
Difficulties with taking lecture notes
Planning essays v. difficult
Fails to answer the Q
Tutors comment on poor explanations in
essays, rambling sentences & lack of
clarity of arguments
Joe- is this Dyspraxia?
Or…..
Is he just a poor student with ……
• Inappropriate strategies for his
academic work
• A tendency to procrastinate
• Studying the wrong subject
• Not very able
• etc.
Joe-Is it dyspraxia?
• Rule out neurological conditions that cause the
same difficulties e.g. cerebral palsy and minor
neurological dysfunction
• Not just slow or untidy handwriting
• Need to perform a full Educational Assessment
of reading, writing, spelling, general intellectual
ability
• Developmental history – ask a parent (?)
• Morrisby Manual Dexterity Test (1998) – test of
coordination
• Dyspraxia questionnaire
Joe- Results- literacy & IQ
• Above average at reading & spelling
• Slow handwriting for all tasks
• Superior verbal ability & average to low
average performance ability
Joe- Fine Motor Coordination
• Difficulties with learning to tie shoelaces &
catch and throw
• Help with handwriting at school
• School reports – frequent comments on
poor presentation of work
• Very slow at practical work and poor final
products
• The last to get dressed after PE
• Poor performance on the Morrisby (1%)
Joe- Gross Motor Coordination
& Balance
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Trips over frequently
Difficulties with bike riding
Could not learn roller skating etc.
Drops and breaks things
Bumps into things
Joe- Multitasking
• Learning to drive really difficult
• Can only cook one pot at a time
• Can not write and listen in lectures
Joe- Organisation and Time
Management
• Tidy enough but takes inordinate time and
quickly becomes messy
• Runs out of essential food etc.
• Misses appointments
• Loses things
Joe- Spatial and temporal
difficulties
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Can not judge how long things will take
Difficult to get timing right when driving
Gets lost easily and confuses left and right
Time flows unevenly
Speech and Language
• Word finding difficulties
Joe: Enough evidence for
dyspraxia
1) Difficulties with fine and gross
motor coordination
2) Plus other difficulties
Case study- Liz
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Liz – 31 year old 1st year undergraduate
Came for pre-exam support
Punctual for appointment
History of being best student in class
Always failed exams
Competent mother of two sons
Thinking A to E
Case Study - George
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29 year– doing second first degree
First degree Geography -3rd class degree
Appalling time management
Went into army
Learnt coordination
Poor writing skills
Definition?
NB: Not everyone with dyspraxia has all
these difficulties
• Existing definitions are often too unspecific
or too precise
• We need something that is helpful with a
student population.
• One way to achieve this is to work
backwards from the known difficulties
Difficulties associated with
Dyspraxia
In addition to fine motor control and gross
motor control
• Automatisation
• Sequencing movements and information
• Sense of time
Additional concomitant difficulties
• Self confidence and self esteem
Brainstorm successful strategies