How to recognise Dyspraxia

Having poor balance. Unable to ride a bike, hop, skip or jump.
Being sensitive to touch. Brushing past someone with dyspraxia may hurt him or her or a small bump will cause distress.
Having poor fine motor skills. Difficulties holding pen/paintbrush.
Having poor gross motor skills. Difficulty hopping, skipping, throwing and catching a ball.
Having poor posture. They appear to be slouching or looking down.
Having a poor sense of direction. May become confused and even lost.
Having a poor awareness of body position in space. May bump into things and cannot gauge doorways etc..
Being sensitive to sound. Having a dislike to loud noises e.g. school parties and discos may be avoided. They may cover their ears.
Having a great sensitivity to smell. Will dislike strong food/outdoor smells and may hold their nose.
Over-sensitive taste. They may grimace at certain tasting foods.
A dislike to having hair or teeth brushed. They will avoid having their hair and nails cut also. Confused about which hand to use.
Inability to feed themselves. May use fork only or prefer to finger feed.
Slow to learn to dress. They find it hard to turn clothes the right way round and have problems with garments that are inside out. May wear clothes back to front.
Finding some clothes uncomfortable. Will avoid woollens or “scratchy” materials. They will find labels irritating.
Having difficulties with reading, writing and copying.
Speech problems – slow to learn to speak and speech may be incoherent. May mumble or speak quietly.
Having no understanding of in/on/behind/in front etc..
Being unable to socialise and/or keep friends. May overly seek the attentions of a particular friend. May play alone or seek comfort in an adult. Due to immaturity the child may prefer the company of younger children.

It is important that dyspraxia is diagnosed as early as possible so that early intervention occurs.

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