This document discusses developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as dyspraxia. It defines DCD as a lifelong learning difficulty affecting motor skills. Children with DCD struggle with gross and fine motor control, which can impact learning, social skills, and everyday activities. The document outlines symptoms, possible causes related to brain development, and common comorbidities like dyslexia. It emphasizes the importance of intervention programs to help children develop motor skills and prevent long-term effects on health, self-esteem, and academic/social functioning.

1. Dr. Maria A. Efstratopoulou
Associate Professor
Special Education
Deparment
UAE University, UAE

2. Be informed about the different
definitions of DCD and Dyspraxia
Understand the symptoms and
possible causes of the disorder
Understand problems associated
with DCD in learning , social
interaction and everyday life
activities for children
Explore Intervention programs for
children with DCD

3. Children also described as “low
tone”, “mild motor” problems
Also labeled:
• Children with developmental dyspraxia
• clumsy child syndrome
• physically awkward
• perceptual motor dysfunction
• sensory integrative dysfunction

4.  Dyspraxia is a lifelong learning difficultly. It was first
defined in the 1980s. Before then, people with this
condition were just known as ‘clumsy’
 It is often called ’the hidden handicap’, because if
you look at a child with dyspraxia you wouldn't know
that they have anything wrong with them.
 Children with dyspraxia struggle with: gross motor
control, fine motor control and sometimes problems
with their speech.
 Dyspraxia can overlap with other learning difficulties
too, such as dyslexia, autism, ADHD, OCD, ASD,
Dysgraphia and can lead to Anxiety and depression.

5. Dys’ means ‘Faulty’
‘Praxis’ means ‘The ability to use the
body as a skilled tool’
Children with dyspraxia find that
moving with efficiently flowing
movements does not come easily to
them. They find this particularly
difficult, especially in the face of a
new challenge.

6. “An impairment or immaturity in the
organization of movement which
leads to associated problems with
language, perception and thought.”
This is the definition as per The
Dyslexia Foundation 1997.
6

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
bqbSYMAnXsk&nohtml5=False

8. “Chronic and usually permanent
condition characterized by
impairment of motor performance
that is sufficient to produce functional
motor performance deficits that are
not explicable by the child's age or
intellect, or by other diagnosable
neurological or spatial-temporal
organizational problems.”

9.  Specific developmental disorders of
motor function
 A serious impairment of motor
co-ordination
 Commonly associated with visuo-spatial
impairment
3/14/2021
DCD/Dr Sen/Birch Hill Hospital
9

10. Co ordination between different body
parts is responsible for different kinds
of actions.
Depending upon the nature of activity,
different kinds of co ordination is
required.

11. This involves the large muscle groups
we use for gross motor movements
like running and jumping.

12. This is required for tasks like catching,
throwing or hitting a ball, wielding a
racquet etc.
Requires knowledge of ‘Body
Boundary”.
i.e. a sense of where the body ends and where the
apparatus begins. In order to be able to catch a ball, a
sense of visual and spatial awareness along with a
sense of body boundary needs to be active.

13. Required for activities like drawing,
painting, writing
Eye-hand co ordination and visual
–spatial awareness contribute to fine
motor skills.

14. The muscles in the mouth, lips must
work in synchronization to produce
speech.
Another set of muscles help in the
regulation of the tone and pitch of
speech
 A problem in any of these areas
would impede the child’s ability to
articulate speech clearly.

15. This is the ability to use the right hand
on the left side of the body and vice
versa.
Tying shoelaces, wearing socks,
trousers etc. are some activities that
require crossing the body midline.
Causes problems with two handed
co-ordination like opening a jam
bottle.

16. It is the study of how children learn to
move effectively & efficiently in
different environments.
Children with dyspraxia frequently
are unable to transfer learning from
one environment to another.
(E.g. a child has to visually understand whether there is enough space for
him to pass between the side table and sofa without bumping into either.
or he learns to swim in the sea, he may not realize that he can now swim
in the pool too).

17. Ideation is knowing what to do
 Planning involves building a mental
model of the action
 Execution is actually carrying out the
movement

18. “It is widely accepted that the
development of controlled
movement has a part to play in the
intellectual development of
children. Children need to
experience movement in order to
learn about themselves, the
relationship to the environment and
the interaction between the two.”
(French & Lee, 2006)

19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
9ZjQILd5esk

20. Many achieve motor skills at
typical times
May not generalize to other
settings
Motor difficulties continue to
be present into adolescence
and adulthood

21. 3/14/2021 DCD/Dr Sen/Birch Hill Hospital
21
Dyslexia
ADHD
Asperger’s
syndrome
DCD

22. Can range from mild to severe
Gross and fine motor problems
Learning disabilities
Speech and articulation difficulties
Attention deficit disorders
Low self-esteem
Anxiety and depression

23.  No specific pathologic process or single
neuroanatomic site has been definitively
associated with DCD.
 DCD is not related to muscle pathology,
peripheral sensory abnormality, or central
nervous system damage that produces
spasticity, athetosis, or ataxia.
 Possible frontal and parietal lobe area
lesions

24. Associated with prematurity,
low birth weight
Prenatal, perinatal or neonatal
risk factors

25.  Usually not made until later in school age when
child learns and performs skills that require
adaptation in speed, timing, force or distance of
the movement
 Slowness of movement
 Decreased reaction time and movement time
 Rely on use of vision more heavily
 Decreased strength and power
 Poor hand-eye coordination

26. Decreased participation in sport and
leisure activities
Decreased opportunities for social
interaction
Decreased physical fitness across the
lifespan
Sedentary lifestyle health risks

27.  Studies demonstrate children with DCD do
not interpret and utilize sensory feedback
or feedback from task performance in the
same manner as other children
 NO internal representation of the motor
action
 Don’t learn from their mistakes
 Perform like earlier learning stages
 No pre-movement preparation

28. Freezing or fixing of joints during
task performance
Deliberate stabilization of joints
Movements are stiff, awkward,
clumsy in appearance

29. Stabilize so another part can be
moved with better control
Controls excess degrees of freedom
Less efficient, causes fatigue
Challenged in timing, duration and
sequencing

30. Determine what sports/leisure
activities will be successful
• Address specific necessary skills
Prevent long term effects of
inactivity
Address physical impairments
(low tone)

31.  Children with DCD have difficulty with
activities that require:
• Continuous adaptability
• Eye-hand coordination
• Variable environment
• Constant monitoring of feedback during task
performance
• High level of unpredictability
(e.g: hockey, baseball, basketball, football)

32. Children with DCD may be successful
with:
• Sequence of movements that are repetitive
• Swimming, skating, skiing, bicycling
• Lifestyle sports

33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
ncnVYonMA5Y

35. Without intervention - many
children’s difficulties will persist into
later life- with long-term impact on
social, emotional and educational
well-being
May have learnt to compensate for
their difficulties
Self esteem building must be a key
element in any intervention plan