Developmental Coordination Disorder is also called Developmental Dyspraxia. It deals with inabilities in organization and performance of an action. The patient lacks in its ability to coordinate and perform required movements. There is an immature processing of the information in brain. So messages are not passed properly to other organs to perform well. development Coordination Disorder is a life-long condition, more common in males.
Developmental Dispraxia may cause linguistic and phonological disability. This condition is termed as Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia . It is also termed as Articulary Dyspraxia or Apraxia of Speech at many places. This condition includes the following problems:
- Difficulty to control organs responsible for speaking and sound formation.
- Difficulty to make sounds.
- Difficulty to use sounds in sequence to form words, phrases and sentences.
- Difficulty in controlling breathing
- Difficulty in swallowing and tongue movements.
Till now no cure is known for Developmental Coordination Disorder. But few experts believe that special treatment methods may help the child to live a better life. Special education plans may be designed to develop the child academically. Games or art forms may be used to teach the child develop his coordination capacity. Individualized treatments are provided to children. Same mode of treatment may not be followed for different cases. More work is needed to be done on the development of self esteem and self confidence in the child. Small exercises may be tried to help him make free movements of hand and legs. Occupational Therapists work with the patient, his family, friends, peers and community. They help the child to overcome his fear and anxiety related to body movements and habits. They even study the social and environmental factors around the child and make necessary modifications for the child to develop faster.
