Playtimes HK Magazine April 2018 Issue | Page 52

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 50 www.playtimes.com.hk 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