Remediation Programmes

The dyspraxic child is at a tremendous disadvantage in that he has failed to reach developmental milestones. For instance he may have started walking without going through the crawling stage. It is important therefore that these milestones are taught to him. This is done by breaking down the activities into simpler steps each step being mastered before the next step is undertaken. The programmes can be started when the child is 3 which is the earliest that many symptoms of the condition are apparent (or the time it takes for a parent to convince their doctor that there is a problem!).

As the child gets older he is in a position to benefit from a graduated series of exercises. These exercises, taking 20 minutes each day, usually last for two terms (25 weeks). Not only do the motor skills develop but also the perceptual and handwriting skills. The child may never be an Olympic athlete but at least he can join in with the sports and games of his peers and reach an average standard.

The difficulty of each series of exercises increases. For instance:- to improve foot-eye coordination initially the exercise is to walk between two straight lines 20cm apart but a later exercise involves propelling a scooter.

Naturally the number and complexity of the exercises are too great to show here but further information can be obtained from 'A Practical Manual for Parents and Professionals'

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