While observing a child for possible sins of dyspraxia, here are a few key things to keep in mind:

• Motor coordination during daily activities should be substantially below that expected for age and intelligence.
• Resulting motor difficulties interfere with academic achievement or activities of daily living.
• The coordination problems are not due to a general medical condition (example, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy) or a pervasive developmental disorder.
• If mental retardation is present, the motor difficulties are in excess of those usually associated with mental retardation.

    Early childhood

• The child may take a longer time to learn how to sit, crawl, stand. The Dyspraxia Foundation says that many never go through the crawling stage.
• Speak -the child may be slower in answering questions, finds it hard to make sounds or repeat sequences of sounds or words, has difficulty in sustaining normal intonation patterns, has a very limited automatic vocabulary, speaks more slowly than other kids, and uses fewer words and more pauses.
• They make take longer in learning how to use the bathroom.

    Pre-School Age to Elementary

• Problems performing subtle movements, such as tying shoelaces, doing up buttons and zips, using cutlery etc. can be a difficult task for children suffering with dyspraxia.
• Many will have difficulties getting dressed.
• Trouble playing games such as jumping rope, playing hopscotch, catching a ball, kicking a ball, hopping, and skipping.
• Trouble with movements, such as using scissors, coloring, drawing, playing jig-saw games.
• Problems processing thoughts.
• Difficulties with concentration.
• The child will fidget more than other children.
• Some find it hard to go up and down the stairs.
• A higher tendency to bump into things, to fall over, and to drop things.
• Difficulty in learning new skills - while other children may do this automatically, a child with dyspraxia takes longer. Encouragement and practice help enormously.
• Writing stories can be much more challenging for a child with dyspraxia, as can copying from a blackboard.
• Often bumps into people and things
• Is slow to develop left- or right-hand dominance
• Speaks slowly or doesn’t enunciate words
• Has trouble speaking at the right speed, volume and pitch
• Behavior when in the company of others may seem unusual

• Does not hold a pencil with a good grip
• Such concepts as in, out, in front of are hard to handle automatically.

Grade School or Middle School

• Tries to avoid sports or gym class
• Takes a long time to write, due to difficulty gripping the pencil and forming letters
• Has trouble moving objects from one place to another, such as pieces on a game board
• Struggles with games and activities that require hand-eye coordination
• Has trouble following instructions and remembering them
• Finds it difficult to stand for a long time as a result of weak muscle tone
• Many of the challenges listed above do not improve, or do so very slightly
• Learns well on a one-on-one basis, but nowhere near as well in class with other kids around
• Learns well on a one-on-one basis, but nowhere near as well in class with other kids around
• Mathematics and writing are difficult
• Reacts to all stimuli equally (not filtering out irrelevant stimuli automatically)

High School

• Has trouble with sports that involve jumping and cycling
• Tends to fall and trip; bumps into things and people
• May talk continuously and repeat things
• May forget and lose things
• Has trouble picking up nonverbal signals from others
• Mathematics and writing are difficult
• Many of the challenges listed above do not improve, or do so very slightly
• Reacts to all stimuli equally (not filtering out irrelevant stimuli automatically)

Other Indicators

• Social and sensory - individuals with dyspraxia may be extremely sensitive to taste, light, touch and/or noise.
• There may also be a lack of awareness of potential dangers. Many experience moods swings and display erratic behavior.
• Researchers at the University of Bolton in England say that there is often a tendency to take things literally '[the child] may listen but not understand.'

Source: www.understood.org

A good way to begin the diagnosis process is to start observing the child and taking regular notes. In order to be diagnosed with dyspraxia, the child should have the symptoms for at least 6 to 8 months. Taking notes can help you show that the child’s behavior has been ongoing and is getting in the way of everyday tasks. This can make getting a diagnosis a little faster. There is no one specific test to determine whether the child has dyspraxia. Typically, a doctor will examine the child to rule out other neurological conditions. Then, the child may be referred to another professional. This could be a psychologist or an occupational therapist.

The specialist will interview you about what you have observed and test your child’s strength, muscle tone and coordination. The specialist will also test your child’s ability to carry out physical tasks, like throwing a ball. To diagnose your child with dyspraxia, the specialist needs to make four key findings:

• Motor skills lag behind what is expected based on the child’s age
• These difficulties interfere with the child’s daily life or academic achievements
• The weaknesses in motor skills aren’t due to another neurological condition, such as cerebral palsy
• Symptoms were present early in life, even though the condition typically is not diagnosed before age 5

Source: UNESCO MGIEP, www.understood.org

A number of therapies can help with dyspraxia. Your child’s teacher or doctor can help you find specialists who are trained in the following:

Source: UNESCO MGIEP, www.understood.org

• Early Intervention is Key
• Decouple their belief that their struggle with math makes them any less intelligent than their classmates. Be supportive, encouraging, and foster their strengths!
• Advocacy – allow the child, parent, and mentor to participate in the learning process and let them explain the particular difficulties the child is or is not facing to you.
• Advocate for the child with higher authorities in the institution.
• Collaborate with other teachers and counsellors
• Do not do anything that may emphasize the child's struggle in class.
• Pre-set students for touch with verbal prompts, “I’m going to touch your right hand.
• Avoid touching from behind or getting too close and make sure peers are aware of this
• Provide a quiet place, without auditory or visual distractions, for testing, silent reading or work that requires great concentration
• Warn the student when bells will ring or if a fire drill is scheduled
• Whisper when working one to one with the child
• Allow parents to provide earplugs or sterile waxes for noisy events such as assemblies
• Make sure the parent knows about what is observed about the student in the classroom
• Refer the student for occupational therapy or sensory integration training
• Be cognizant of light and light sources that may be irritating to the child
• Provide wide-lined paper for students who write big letters as well as colored-line paper.
• Give teaching notes ahead of time
• Provide worksheets and reduce the stress of copying
• Seat students nearer to the board or seat them with a student who could provide assistance.
• Provide extra time to complete the work.
• Give work that the student can cope up with.
• Give breaks so that students can move around during the day.
• Give directions slowly and in short sentences
• Teach physical skills in smaller parts and before the rest of the class
• Guide a student's hand when teaching skills like how to use scissors
• Provide check-lists, step by step instructions and visual aid for long assignments
• For a more detailed list of the specific accommodations for specific conditions, see: http://www.speld.org.au/files/classroomguidelines_dyspraxia.pdf

Source: UNESCO MGIEP, www.understood.org

• Get informed – learn in detail about your child’s LD and have it diagnosed in-depth to understand their particular nuances
• Advocate for your child - It is important to remember that life can be made less painful for students who feel like they are failing on a daily basis
• Early Intervention is Key
• Develop a team that includes you, your child’s teacher(s), other school authorities, mentor, tutor and another supportive family member or friend.
• When you approach your school, do not be accusatory about their shortcomings but be collaborative. Explain your situation, your child’s situation and build a team to work around that child.
• Develop a support system for yourself. Children with LDs can often be difficult to deal with. It is important to have a familial support system for yourself, to allow you to de-stress and cope and also to give your child the space to go somewhere else should he/she feel the need to and be comfortable with more people.
• Discover your child’s interests.
• Ask your school to assign reading specialists and special educators for your child. If they can’t then approach an institution that can provide your children with specialized aid.
• Find mentors/tutors that they are comfortable working with.
• Establish a communication with a ‘go-to’ person in school (a teacher/counsellor/ secretary etc.) that your child trusts and feels comfortable reaching out to should he/she feel overwhelmed in school.
• When your child is old enough, talk to them about their condition. Be informative and explain the disadvantages as well as the gifts/strengths that they have
• The more you stress, the more they stress. So stay positive and patient.
• Observe and take notes. Watching your child more closely and taking notes on his/her behavior may reveal patterns and triggers that you can begin to work around. Your notes will also come in handy if you want to talk to teachers, doctors or anyone else you enlist to help your child.
• Focus on effort, not the outcome. Praise your child for trying hard, and emphasize that everyone makes mistakes—you included! Help your child understand how important it is to keep practicing. Your encouragement will help your child stay motivated.
• Boost confidence. Use hobbies and afterschool activities to help improve your child’s self-esteem and increase resilience. Try different ways to identify and build on your child’s strengths.

• Encourage physical activity. Any kind of play that encourages physical activity will help your child develop motor skills. Whether it’s a swim class or a simple game of hide-and-seek, it is good for a child with dyspraxia to get his/her body moving. It can also help your child build relationships with other kids.
• Do jigsaw puzzles. Puzzles can help your child work on visual or spatial perception. They can also help your child improve fine motor skills. Puzzles are fun for the whole family to do together.
• Toss a bean bag. This can be a fun way to help develop hand-eye coordination.
• Get some pencil grips. These inexpensive items can make writing easier. Also, let your child use thick chalks and crayons that allows them to improve their grip. Here’s a link for DIY pencil grip. http://www.instructables.com/id/Duct-Tape-Pencil-Grip/
• Give your child a variety of pens, including colored and scented markers, to help keep things interesting.
• Practice keyboarding. Typing may be easier for your child than handwriting. But it’s a skill that needs to be learned and practiced.
• Get some putty. Squeezing soft clay or some play-dough can help strengthen your child’s hand muscles. It can also be a good stress reliever.
• Adjust your expectations. Your child may need help with grooming and other everyday activities long after peers have mastered those skills. By recognizing your child’s challenges, you will be able to give genuine praise when he completes these tasks.
• Play pretend.  A key to developing gross motor skills is understanding what the body can do. Fire up your child’s imagination and movement through pretend games. Have him waddle like a duck, fly like an airplane or hop like a rabbit. Or let him pretend to be something, and you can guess what he is.
• Swing on the playground. Swinging on a swing set helps your child develop balance. It also requires him to coordinate shifting weight and moving his legs back and forth. Other ways to develop gross motor skills on the playground include going up and down on a slide, and climbing up equipment.
• Jump around with hopscotch. Hopping and jumping can be challenging for kids with gross motor issues. These activities require strong muscles, balance and coordination. Make your child practice through a game of hopscotch. You can alternate the hopscotch pattern by hopping on one or both legs to improve balance.
• Have a dance party. Dancing to music helps build your child’s awareness of rhythm. At the same time, it improves his gross motor skills. Use songs that call for movement like 'put your right hand in, put your right hand out' etc.
• Stock up on play-dough. Squeezing and stretching it helps strengthen finger muscles, and touching it is a valuable sensory experience.
• Do some finger painting. Using finger paint can strengthen your child’s hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity.
• Once your child is older and willing, you can get them into sports like swimming and martial arts that can greatly help and improve motor skills.

Source: UNESCO MGIEP, www.understood.org