2004-2-25
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education
Report.
People who have unusual difficulty with reading, writing or other
skills may have a learning disability. Today we continue our series
about learning disabilities with a report about a movement disorder.
This condition is called dyspraxia.
With dyspraxia, the brain does not send messages clearly to other
parts of the body. People with dyspraxia have a poor understanding
of the messages sent by their senses. They have difficulty linking
these messages to actions. As a result, people with dyspraxia have
trouble planning and organizing thoughts. Physical activities are
also difficult to learn and perform.
Experts say the kinds of difficulties experienced by a person
with dyspraxia can change from day to day or at different times in
life. Babies with dyspraxia do not try to crawl or roll over. Later,
they may have difficulty with eye movements. They may move their
head instead of just their eyes. Children with dyspraxia may have
trouble walking or holding a cup, riding a bicycle or throwing a
ball.
Social skills may be difficult for people with dyspraxia to
learn. So they might have trouble making friends. People with
dyspraxia can find sports activities extremely difficult. They may
even have trouble speaking. Some cannot make the physical movements
necessary to speak clearly. Adults with dyspraxia can have problems
driving a car or cleaning the house. They can have problems cooking,
writing, typing, even washing and dressing themselves.
Experts say dyspraxia cannot be cured. They say people with this
disorder must understand that it takes them longer to learn to do
things than other people. It will also take them longer to remember
how to do what they have already learned.
Early intervention can help. Professional therapists say there
are ways to help make life easier for those with dyspraxia. They say
parents and teachers must understand that people with dyspraxia need
help learning simple movements. Experts say children should be urged
to take part in easy physical activities that can increase their
trust in their abilities.
We continue our series about learning disabilities next week. All
of our programs are on the Internet at WWW.testbig.com. Links
to more information about dyspraxia are also included.
This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy
Steinbach. This is Steve Ember.