The varying degrees of severity with hidden disabilities make them difficult to detect yet there will be tell-tale signs, such as learning difficulties and social behaviour problems. These are becoming more recognized in children and young adults, and it has been suggested that up to 20% of the population may be affected to  some degree. ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia all come into the category of these hidden disabilities.

Today I will focus on Dyspraxia.

The cause of dyspraxia is not known, yet there appears to be a link between immature neurons in the motor cortex and dyspraxia. There is also an inherent link as it runs in families. It has been associated with developmental delays, learning problems and reading difficulties.

What Is Dyspraxia?

• Dyspraxia is a neurologically based developmental disability which is present from birth
• Dyspraxia is a motor planning disorder, not a muscular deficit. A child knows what they want their body to do but can't get their body to do it.
• There are three (3) types of Developmental Dyspraxia - Oral, Verbal and Motor.
• A child with Dyspraxia can have one or a combination of all three types of Dyspraxia and in varying degrees of severity
• Dyspraxia is a hidden handicap. Children with this disability appear the same as any other child. It is only when a skill is performed that the disability is noticeable.
• Dyspraxia is believed to be an immaturity of parts of the motor cortex (area of the brain) that prevents messages from being properly transmitted to the body.
• Dyspraxia affects up to 10% of the population with approximately 70% of those affected being boys.
• Dyspraxia does not impact on intelligence, children with Dyspraxia have average or above average intelligence
• Dyspraxia can impact on behaviour and social skills
• Dyspraxia is a specific learning disability

3 Types of Dyspraxia

Oral Dyspraxia- Oral dyspraxia is a difficulty with planning and executing non-speech sounds, such as blowing, sucking or individual tongue/lip movements. This may indirectly affect speech and/or swallowing skills. A child with Oral Dyspraxia may dribble profusely, have difficulty licking an ice-cream and may have a preference for either soft or hard textured foods.

Verbal Dyspraxia- Verbal Dyspraxia is a speech disorder that affects the programming, sequencing and initiating of movements required to make speech sounds.

Children with Verbal Dyspraxia may:

• Display highly unintelligible speech
• Simplify words eg. "bur" for "burger
• Have inconsistent speech patterns
• Move sounds in a word eg. "tobe" for "boat"
• Exhibit "lost" or searching movements of the tongue and lips as they endeavour to find the position to make a sound
• Have delayed expressive language
• Adopt a complex gesture system to aid communication skills
• Have difficulty with sequencing words, and sounds in words eg. "Pataka"

Motor Dyspraxia -Motor Dyspraxia is a difficulty in planning, sequencing and then executing the correct movement to perform age appropriate skills in a smooth and coordinated manner at will or on command.

Children with Motor Dyspraxia may have difficulty with:

• Learning a new skill
• Coordinated movement
• Handwriting
• Consistent performance
• Age appropriate skills
• Generalising learnt skills
• Timing and rhythm
• Learning rules
• Responding quickly
• Spatial organisation
• Problem solving
• Using appropriate cues
• Analysing what is needed for task performance
• Preparing for the next stage in task performance

Developmental dyspraxia, is not considered a medical condition, but it may be due to immature neuron development. It is a life-long condition that is more common in males than females. The concept of developmental dyspraxia has existed for more than a century, but differing interpretation of terminology remains. Current estimates range from 5% - 20% with 2% affected severely.

Therapies for Dyspraxia

Speech pathologyis one of the therapies for dyspraxia.  Speech pathologists may choose to follow a motor skill training approach which gets people to practice making sounds quickly and accurately, making it easier to put these in normal speech.  People with dyspraxia may also need practice with listening, in order to ensure that they are not leaving sounds out when speaking.

Occupational therapyis another therapy for dyspraxia.  It helps people to improve physical skills and fine motor tasks.  Physical therapists can also be of help.  Early intervention is important.

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)was originally created in 1975 by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, but since that time, many others have contributed towards its growth and development. There are several descriptions of what NLP actually is, but they all agree that Modelling is a core component, that opens a window into ascertaining how people function.

It explores the relationship between how one thinks (neuro) and communicates both verbally and non verbally (linguistic), and patterns of behaviour and emotion (programmes). NLP is a behaviour technique that teaches people how to change or adopt new behaviours as required and to choose mental and physical states of wellbeing. In effect, it is about knowing what is going on inside oneself and others.

Neuro Developmental Therapy (NDT)addresses the shortcomings of the vestibular system by encouraging the development of mature reflexes while the Tomatis Method of sound therapy uses specially modified music designed to stimulate the cochlear and vestibular systems and strengthen neural connections from the auditory system to the brain.  The theory for using NDT along with the Tomatis Method draws on the assumption that all types of dyspraxia stem from the same source.  Instead of treating each area of impaired functioning as unrelated, the Tomatis Methods aims to strengthen the structure of the inner ear while the NDT exercises revisit motor development as it ideally should have been experienced.

NaturopathicMedicine, or Naturopathy, is a practice of preventing, assessing and treating conditions of the human mind and body. By integrating conventional health sciences with a range of natural therapies and traditional medicines, naturopathy treats the patient's mental, emotional and physical states for a lasting effect.

The foundation of Naturopathy is the philosophy of the "healing power of nature". This means that the body has its own healing energy within and with the help of naturopathic treatment, the body can repair itself and recover from illness if it is in a healthy and supportive environment.

The Role of the Naturopath

A Naturopath aims to educate, empower and motivate the patient to assume more personal responsibility for his or her health by adopting a healthy attitude, lifestyle and diet. They do not simply treat the manifestation of a disease and its effects but rather search for the cause and treat it, rather than the effect. Prevention of disease is accomplished through naturopathic education which builds a lifestyle that supports health and wellbeing.

Benefits of Naturopathy

A Naturopath is trained to employ safe and effective natural therapies that will support and stimulate the healing power of nature in the gentlest, least invasive and most efficient manner possible. Naturopaths use a range of methods to assist in the healing process including Herbal Medicine (in this case to support the central nervous system and brain)  nutrition - diet and lifestyle recommendations, vitamins and minerals, flower essences, homeopathy, hair, tongue, and nail analysis, Iridology and massage.

Treatments for Dyspraxia include herbal combinations that support the brain and central nervous system, nutritional guidelines to reduce ‘problem' foods, supplements that have shown to be beneficial are recommended. Flower essences carefully chosen to support the emotional wellbeing of the individual.