| The causes of dysphraxia still remain largely | | | | approximately 4 males to every female. The |
| elusive. While it is a common condition, with about | | | | exact proportion of people with the disorder is |
| ten percent of the population of the earth having | | | | unknown since the disorder can be difficult to |
| it, it's exact mechanisms are still poorly | | | | detect due to a lack of specific laboratory tests, |
| understood. Dysphraxia is one of a heterogeneous | | | | thus making diagnosis of the condition one of |
| range of developmental disorders affecting the | | | | elimination of all other possible diseases or injuries. |
| initiation, organization, and performance of action. | | | | Because of the problems that this disease causes, |
| It is a diagnosis of exclusion which involves the | | | | it can be difficult for a child at school, so many |
| partial loss of the ability to coordinate and | | | | parents with children with this condition opt for |
| perform certain movements and gestures. | | | | home schooling. Reading, writing, playground |
| Children who have it may be very slow in learning | | | | games, and remembering to do homework (as |
| to walk and talk, and even to crawl. It is similar to | | | | well as remembering what was learned) are all |
| such conditions as cerebral palsy, muscular | | | | problematic. Even art class can be a struggle, and |
| dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's | | | | physical education class usually has to be skipped |
| disease in the way it affects a child's movements, | | | | altogether. |
| yet it is something entirely different from those | | | | Whilst most of the general population experience |
| things at its most basic level. | | | | these problems to some extent, they have a |
| The diagnosis of developmental dysphraxia has | | | | much more significant impact on the lives of |
| existed for more than a century, but differing | | | | dysphraxic people. However, many dysphraxics |
| interpretations of the terminology remain. The | | | | have excellent long-term memories, despite poor |
| Dyspraxia Foundation defines developmental | | | | short-term memory. Also, many dysphraxics |
| dysphraxia as "an impairment or immaturity of | | | | benefit from working in a structured environment, |
| the organization of movement." Essentially, it is a | | | | as repeating the same routine minimizes difficulty |
| disorder in the way that the brain processes | | | | with time-management and allows them to |
| information, which results in messages not being | | | | commit procedures to long-term memory. People |
| properly or fully transmitted. The term dysphraxia | | | | with dysphraxia may have sensory integration |
| comes from the word praxis, which means | | | | dysfunction, including abnormal oversensitivity or |
| "doing" or "acting." Not only is this condition | | | | under sensitivity to physical stimuli, such as touch, |
| associated with difficulty in moving and speaking, it | | | | light, and sound. Under sensitivity to stimuli may |
| also causes problems in long and short-term | | | | also cause problems. Dysphraxics who are not |
| memory and in learning in general. It is not mental | | | | sensitive to pain may injure themselves without |
| retardation, as many children with it are basically | | | | realizing it, and so should be monitored closely. |
| quite bright, but it is a disability that affects a | | | | Each case is different, and while the causes of |
| child's ability to process information correctly. | | | | dysphraxia are unknown, the treatments for it |
| Dysphraxia is a life-long condition that is more | | | | are getting better. |
| common in males than in females, with a ratio of | | | | |