Dyspraxia

About dyspraxia

Developmental dyspraxia -also known as developmental co-ordination disorder - is an impairment of the ‘organisation of movement' which results in problems with language, perception and thought.

Symptoms can be seen in babies, with the child being irritable, significant feeding problems, slow to achieve developmental milestones and often failure to crawl.

If untreated, by age 3-5 your child may demonstrate high levels of excitement and be “on the go” constantly. This may be accompanied by “clumsy” behaviour and a lack of awareness of danger. Fine motor skills may be affected and the child will avoid activities that require this skill. Their play and communication skills will be limited, which will begin to isolate them from other children.

Dyspraxia is thought to affect up to 10 percent of the population in varying degrees, meaning that in each classroom there will be at least one child with this disorder. Dyspraxia may be diagnosed at any stage of life although increasing numbers of children are being diagnosed with this condition.

Helping your child with dyspraxia

Much can be done to help a child with dyspraxia, particularly if the condition is diagnosed early on. Early intervention can maximise the speed and level of progress your child makes, and can give you time to prepare your child for the teenage years when social and co-ordination difficulties can present the greatest challenge.

Even if dyspraxia is identified later in life, much can be still done. Many adults with dyspraxia can progress so well that they learn to function and behave in a way that makes them indistinguishable from those around them who aren’t affected by dyspraxia.

NETwork Interventions has years of experience of helping children with dyspraxia overcome obstacles and learn new skills. In many cases the symptoms of this disorder can be reversed or significantly reduced using Verbal Behaviour techniques.

The starting point is for us to undertake a full assessment of your child, enabling us to identify the precise struggles your child has. Once you are happy with our report and recommendations, we design and implement a programme of interventions for your child, working closely with your whole family to help maximise your child’s progress.

What results will I see?

Some of the results you can expect from a Verbal Behaviour programme include:

• Lower risk of developing acquired disorders associated with dyspraxia including anxiety disorder, challenging behaviour, and depression.
• Greater confidence and self esteem, often resulting in a more contented child.
• More effective language and communication skills, reducing feelings of frustration and isolation and giving way to new skills and better behaviour.
• Improved attention and concentration allowing your child to enjoy learning and perform better at school.

Did you know?

Dyspraxia is often dubbed ‘clumsy child syndrome’ and many children with this condition are simply passed off as being ‘clumsy’, ‘difficult’ or ‘naughty’. This means that many children miss out on the help and teaching they desperately need. By identifying and addressing the root of a child’s academic or behavioural struggles, we can put a programme in place to teach your child to replace problem behaviours and challenges with new skills and behaviours.

• Find a
  Workshop
• Further Services
  Need a Therapist?
• Find out more about
  Our Approach
• Book an appointment
  At Our Clinics

"Our son was diagnosed with Asperger’s aged 7; NETwork Interventions spent a day observing him at school and at home and quickly identified the skills he was lacking – skill deficits that we - and others working with our son - had not picked up on. NETwork Interventions trained us to help our son learn those missing skills. The results have been remarkable – he no longer cries about going to school, his concentration and behaviour are much better and he is far less likely to alienate others by the things he says. Thank you."
Parent in Surrey

"It is always a pleasure talking to Lu and Shelley - we think they are superstars!"
C & C, Ottawa

"The observation and assessment period that NETwork complete at the beginning is difficult to understand at the outset, but it turns out that it is an intricate process that [does] indeed find the issues to work on and subsequently address and resolve."
Mum, Quebec

"Dillan had significant behavioural issues and received a very late diagnosis of NVLD when he was 9 years old. This diagnosis did little to help our family. Louise quickly and efficiently set up a programme for our teenage son which rapidly identified his strengths and weaknesses. Shelley taught us and his teachers how to best address these, including language deficits which had previously remained unrecognised, Louise’s team worked within our budget, working hours and extensive travel commitments, working closely with school and our local authority to ensure everybody was on board and funding accessed. At times it felt as though Louise was coordinating a small army. Additional support of parent-counselling through Louise’s team proved invaluable, even though we were originally a little sceptical. It most likely made the difference between success and failure in our ability as parents to sustain a positive family unit whilst implementing the programme. We worked with NETwork Interventions for just under one year."
Dr Edwards, North London

"We would like to say a massive thank you for your hard work during the 2 day assessment. We are so grateful and highly impressed with your level of knowledge, confidence, professionalism as well as the kindness and respect shown to our family. Now, we really believe there is light at the end of the tunnel."
Monica, UK