Dyspraxia / DCD Test and Assessment
Dyspraxia tests in Elland within easy reach of Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford and Leeds.
All children are individual with their own specific difficulties and as such every assessment is tailored to their own unique needs. If a full assessment is required then the following would be assessed:-
- Gross motor skills
- Fine motor skills
- Perception
- Gait (how they walk, do they trip a lot or complain of ankle/leg pain
- Handwriting
- Self-care skills
- Observation
- Focus/concentration
- Basic sensory skills
- Organisation of self and tasks
Also discussed would be the child's early development, relevant medial history, the results of the DCDQ and goals they would like to achieve which would be the child's goals as well as parents and potentially school. If a child is referred for a more specific difficulty, then any of the above can be looked at in isolation.
About Dyspraxia / DCD
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is regarded as an umbrella term that encompasses motor coordination difficulties. DCD affects 5-6% of school age children. Children with DCD often have difficulty carrying out everyday tasks due to a delay in motor skills or coordination, for example getting dressed, using cutlery, catching a ball, having poor handwriting or riding a bike.
Dyspraxia is a form of DCD affecting fine motor and gross motor coordination in both children and adults. Dyspraxia refers to those that have additional difficulties with planning, sequencing and organisation. Dyspraxia can also affect speech and perception. Although dyspraxia can occur as a stand alone, it can run alongside ADHD, dyslexia and language disorders.
The exact cause of DCD/Dyspraxia is unknown. It appears to occur at any developmental stage and for a variety of reasons. It is however thought that a breakdown in how the senses in the body communicate to the brain could lead to DCD/Dyspraxia in a child. The left hemisphere recieves information in a jumbled way, its not until the right side in conjunction with the left wotk together to make sense of the images and actions that it can be completed effectively and carried out. Basically in a child with DCD/Dyspraxia, the right and left hemishperes in the brain do not respond in a coordinated way.