DCD - Understanding is Key

Understanding DCD (also known as dyspraxia) is key to helping children with DCD succeed.

For clarification I felt it prudent to explain the difference between Dyspraxia and Apraxia.

Dyspraxia is the partial loss of the ability to co-ordinate and perform skilled, purposeful movements and gestures with normal accuracy.

Apraxia is the term that is used to describe the complete loss of this ability.

The following may be affected:

• Gross and fine motor skills.
• Motor planning and the organization of movement (planning what to do and how to do it).
• Speech and language.
• Ability to carry out activities of daily living.

Dyspraxia/apraxia may be acquired (e.g. as a result of stroke or head injury), or associated with failure or delay of normal neurological development. Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) in children is the term used for dyspraxia due to a problem with normal neurological development. In popular English, when the word dyspraxia is used, it is usually used to mean this condition. DCD in children is classed as a motor learning disability.