Children with this type of dyspraxia may have difficulty copying geometric drawings or playing with toys such as building blocks or stacking rings. Autism is a developmental condition that affects how an individual relates to and interacts with others. It also affects how they interpret the world around them. There are many similarities between autism and dyspraxia, with an element of overlap between the two conditions. In some instances, both diagnoses are decided upon, particularly if motor skills are significantly affected, but dyspraxia itself is not a form of autism.
Is Dyspraxia a form of autism? As you can see from the above, autism and dyspraxia can present very similarly. This is made more confusing as the two conditions may also occur along side each other. As dyspraxia is less well known than autism some children may have be given an autism diagnosis and not assessed for dyspraxia. It can be so difficult to differentiate between these conditions because both autism and dyspraxia have a wide range of presentations.
They can also coincide and overlap with each other and other developmental conditions such as ADD Attention Deficit Disorder , ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Dyslexia primarily a difficulty with learning to read, write and spell, often accompanied by poor organisational skills and Dyscalculia difficulty with mathematical concepts. So although there are similarities, autism is primarily a social and communication disorder and dyspraxia is primarily a motor skills disorder.
If your child has one of these conditions but you feel they also have other difficulties, you may think about further assessment. Many different healthcare professionals are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of both autism and dyspraxia, including;. Diagnoses of both dyspraxia and autism spectrum disorders should be made by qualified professionals—pediatricians, pediatric therapists, psychologists, and other medical professionals with backgrounds in neurological conditions and neurodiversity.
Because they overlap, there are some treatments that may be effective for autism spectrum disorders as well as dyspraxia and developmental coordination disorders. These include the following. Pediatric occupational therapists have backgrounds in anatomy and physiology, neurology, psychology, sensory and motor development. By using play and games customized to engage and challenge each child they work with, pediatric occupational therapists work on and improve fine motor control, bilateral coordination, sensory processing and response, motor planning, handwriting, and more.
This makes occupational therapy an ideal treatment for dyspraxia and developmental coordination disorders.
Children with autism spectrum disorders who exhibit difficulties with motor skills can also benefit. Speech therapists and speech language pathologists for children focus on helping kids with difficulties speaking and processing language, either due to motor issues or developmental impairments. Since language and speech can present difficulties for children with both dyspraxia and autism spectrum disorders , speech therapy is a common treatment for each.
Conveniently located in Cheshire and Meriden, Connecticut, Cheshire Fitness Zone is home to a team of specialized therapists with decades of combined experience and a passion for helping kids to learn and grow. To learn more about how Cheshire Fitness Zone can help you, get in touch using the form below or by calling What is Tactile Defensiveness?
Tactile defensiveness refers to the reactions or aversive responses that may occur for those sensitive to touch. Someone may experience a. As parents, we all want to ensure that our children are meeting crucial developmental milestones. People with dyspraxia can have trouble with balance and spatial awareness, and are often clumsy. Their dyspraxia can lead to them falling or tripping a lot, bumping into things and even walking or running with an unusual gait.
In a school setting, this can make children the target of ridicule from peers and cause issues with self-esteem and confidence. While no two people with dyspraxia will struggle with the same symptoms, these children commonly have a hard time performing tasks in gym class, including catching, throwing and kicking a ball, and consequently may be the last to be chosen in team sports.
In art class they may struggle to use scissors or paint with a brush, and in music class they can have a difficult time playing certain instruments.
In fact, gripping a pen or pencil can actually be physically painful for dyspraxic kids — which is why it is usually recommended that they learn touch-typing. Dyspraxia is not related to intelligence but it can affect attention and memory, which may disrupt learning and causes poor performance in an academic context. Learn more in our posts: What is dyspraxia? Autism can vary widely between individuals. Social interaction is typically an issue, as is sensory processing.
These individuals may not be able to pick up on cues from a conversation partner and kids may lack interest in playing with their peers. Background noise and activity can be particularly distracting and they may have an unusual ability to focus attention on specific details. Babies who are on the autistic spectrum are often late talkers. Speech may be at different volumes or pitches and can be repetitive with a preference for particular words or strings of language.
Reading ability varies and it has been shown that metaphors are sometimes tricky for people with autism, as is following a narrative that relies on understanding complex social interactions between characters.
There can be some balance and physical issues such as not swinging their arms when they walk or not using hand gestures. Learn more in our post on strategies that can help learners with autism and autism and reading difficulties.
Both dyspraxia and autism can lead to kids feeling awkward in social situations. At school these students may be treated differently by their peers and can become the target of bullying and ridicule. Some dyspraxic and autistic people have distinct speech patterns. When this occurs in dyspraxia it is referred to as apraxia of speech.
They can have difficulty controlling the volume and pitch of their speech and using complex and long strings of language. Some people are hypersensitive to temperatures, light and noise and many prefer to stick to a familiar routine to help them complete day-to-day tasks.
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