Symptoms of Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is one of the least studied learning disability and often goes undiagnosed or unrecognised as symptoms of dyspraxia are many times deemed clumsy or ‘out of sync’. Even as it is associated with language, perception, and thought problems, trouble with motor skills is the most common indicator of possible dyspraxia. For example, an infant with dyspraxia may never go through the crawling stage and have difficulty seating. However, how the disorder symptoms manifest themselves with age and level of expected maturity varies.
Symptoms of dyspraxia in pre-schoolers
- Trouble learning to ride a bicycle or tricycle even with training wheels
- Difficulty eating food with cutlery
- Have trouble in being potty-trained
- Trouble throwing a ball and being afraid to play games involving co-ordination such as stacking
- Trouble in sitting still or shows unusual body postures
- Difficulty with making gestures and motions that involve hand-movements like “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” where they experience a problem in pointing towards these body parts
- Frequently bumping into others by accident
- Jagged-play or roughhousing
Pre-schoolers with dyspraxia have trouble learning to ride a bicycle or tricycle even with training wheels
Symptoms of dyspraxia commonly found in kindergarteners and younger children
- Undeveloped or underdeveloped left- or right- hand dominance exhibited in using one hand for most activities
- Awkward and slow movements, avoid physical education classes in school
- Fumbling with objects like scissors and struggling to cut out shapes
- Frequently dropping things and experiencing problems while holding things like pencils and cups
- Avoids participating in playground activities like jumping, cycling, hopping and skipping due to lack of coordination and fear of falling
- Struggling with building blocks and puzzles
- Struggling with getting dressed, doing buttons, tying laces and trouble with using zippers
- Bumping into people and things way too often and difficulty in walking up and downstairs
- Difficulty with the formation of letters correctly or spacing them appropriately between the lines
- Problems brushing teeth and other self-care routines
Symptoms of dyspraxia commonly found in middle-schoolers
- Poor understanding of spacing between letters and words
- Movement-imitation problems in sports or other extracurricular activities like dance
- Struggling with visually and spatially demanding tasks like moving pieces on a game-board
- Trouble with following basic routines like packing one’s bag or getting dressed for school
- Slow to pick up new skills; they need repeated instructions to learn new things
- Trouble in forming letters with a pencil because of difficulty experienced in holding a grip
- Difficulty in cutting foods or making morsels
- Improper lining of columns while doing math-problems
Symptoms of dyspraxia commonly found in teens and tweens
- Poor organizing skills and trouble in getting things done
- Poor hand-eye coordination resulting in trouble with sports
- Difficulty with visual-spatial aspects of math, like geometry
- Struggling with latches to open doors or lockers, or using a lock with a combination-code
- Avoiding and having problems with typing or texting
- Unable to prepare simple foods, like sandwiches, despite knowing how
- Bumping into people or pushing people by accident way more often than other teens
- Might have behaviour problems, mainly because of frustrations stemming from their symptoms
- Difficulty in making friends as they avoid taking part in team events or other activities at school
- Have low self-esteem