Spotlight Magazine
Dyspraxia Awareness Week
11th - 17th October.
Dyspraxia is also known as Developmental
Coordination Disorder, and occurs in both
adults and children. It can affects fine and
gross motor coordination.
Those with the condition are often late
learning to walk, stand, sit and roll and
will find other standard developmental
activities such as running, jumping or
catching a ball more difficult.
Many also experience difficulties with
articulation, speech, perception and
thoughts, leading to memory problems,
poor organisation, planning and
sequencing skills.
Dyspraxia is thought to be caused by an
immaturity of neurone development in the
brain which disrupts the way the brain
sends messages to the body.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe
announced he had the disorder in 2008.
Other well known personalities affected
by the condition include South Shields MP
Emma Lewell- Buck, model Cara Delvingne
and Jamie Lambert who is part of the
Britain’s Got Talent winning male singing
group Collabro.
Indeed, Jamie has just become a Celebrity
Patron for the Charity the Dyspraxia
Foundation and is fronting this year’s
awareness campaign. His mother Lorraine
has shared her thoughts in a blog to help
others. She urges people not
to assume that those with
the condition have limited
potential.
as Asperger’s Syndrome (High Functioning
Autism), Attention Deficit Hyperactive
Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, language
disorders, and social, emotional and
behavioural difficulties.
Diagnosis via specific assessments often
happens at school age and usually leads
to referral to specialist support services.
While many of those with Dyspraxia are
highly intelligent, their ability to learn is
often impaired and they will need to repeat
things and practice more often.
At a special event in Parliament in 2014,
Emma Lewell-Buck said; ‘I used to also
suffer from low self-esteem and confidence,
and for a time at school I got frustrated with
having to work harder than the other kids
and started to misbehave. But I realised
that if I was going to make something of
my life I needed to start knuckling down
– even if it did take longer to grasp and
understand things I knew that I was just as
capable as anyone else.’
The Dyspraxia Foundation provides
resources and a helpline to assist young
adults affected by Dyspraxia as well as
their families, teachers and healthcare
professionals. There are also many local
support groups.
Find out more at: http://www.
dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk
Helpline: 01462 454986
Around 5% of the population
are affected by Dyspraxia
and around 2% are severely
affected. Evidence shows
the condition sometimes runs
in families and that boys are
three times more likely to be
affected than girls.
Sometimes Dyspraxia occurs
in isolation, but frequently it
coexists with conditions such
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