features
The Dyspraxic Brain
When considering the brain, the
cerebral cortex (the uppermost part
of the brain) receives impulses from
sensory organs through a network of
nerve fibres passing from the brain
stem. As a child grows and learns, the
connections between the nerve cells
(neural pathways) become established
and reinforced with successful learning.
When a child learns, the repetition of
movement reinforces the pattern so that
its planning becomes almost a reflexive
response. The use of external sensory
input such as sight and sound, together
with the learned movement patterns,
will enable the cerebral cortex to judge
the best course of action and send out
appropriate motor impulses.
The structure of the nervous
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system is made up of two cerebral
hemispheres. The nerves contain
neurons, which are either sensory
neurons, going from body to brain, or
motor neurons, going from brain to
body. The muscles and organs in the
body have receptors, which are there
to react to changes in movement.
Sensory input allows us to be aware of
our surroundings, to perceive changes
and gain knowledge so that we can
plan our movements and coordinate
our thoughts and emotions. We are
able to process the information and
we can then filter out unnecessary
messages and process the complex
instructions we have received, organise
them and integrate them. The brain
then decides on the messages to be
sent to the muscles and ultimately what
movements are required. An exhausting
and rigid journey for the dyspraxic brain.
In children with dyspraxia, the two
hemispheres of the cerebral cortex are
not working in harmony to produce the
desired results, thus ideation, planning
and motor execution are hindered.
For the majority of those with the
condition, there is no known cause.
Current research suggests that it
is due to an immaturity of neurone
development in the brain rather than
to brain damage. The symptoms of
dyspraxia can be evident from an early
age. Babies may be irritable from birth
and may exhibit significant feeding
problems. They are slow to achieve
expected developmental milestones.
For example, by the age of eight
months they still may not be able to sit
up independently. Many children with
dyspraxia fail to go through the crawling