Common symptoms of dyspraxia

Common Symptoms of Dyspraxia:

You may notice symptoms of dyspraxia early on in development in a child with dyspraxia, these symptoms can look different depending on age.

Babies:

• Developmental delays such as rolling, crawling, walking and feeding. • Problems with sleeping. • Unusual and overly frequent movement in arms and legs. • Abnormal posture.

Although signs of dyspraxia may be noticeable are from a young age, dyspraxia is usually not formally diagnosed until a child is 5+ years of age.

Children:

• Difficulty with gross motor skills such as: o Coordination and balance. o Jumping. o Catching and throwing balls. o Running. o Kicking a ball. o Skipping. o Running. • Difficulty with fine motor skills such as: o Handwriting.

o Using scissors. o Doing up buttons, shoelaces and zips. o Using cutlery. • Difficulty focussing on tasks (short attention span). • Difficulty organising self and activities • Difficulty remembering instructions seen or told. • Takes longer to learn skills.

All of these can be overwhelming and difficult for a child to process, which can lead to frustration and behavioural difficulties. It is important to remember that tasks can be a lot more challenging for children with dyspraxia than for a child without, so it can be helpful to write lists as prompts and provide more time for completing activities particularly challenging.