Dyspraxia: Help for the Dyspraxic Child

Dyspraxia: Help for Dyspraxic Children

Dyspraxia ― also known as Clumsy Child Syndrome, Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), Motor Learning Difficulty and Perceptuo-motor Dysfunction ― is generally recognized to be an impairment of the organization of movement. Associated with this may be problems of language, perception and thought.

Dyspraxia symptoms include:

Clumsiness, uncoordinated movements;
Prone to accidents, may fall a lot, bump into furniture;
Poor hand-eye, foot-eye coordination;
Slow and poor at dressing, unable to tie shoelaces, do up buttons etc.;
Messy eating and drinking;
Speech and language difficulties;
Poor sense of direction;
Poor spatial awareness;
Poor sequencing ability;
Poor short-term memory;
Difficulty in planning and organizing thought;
Difficulty in holding a pen properly;
Difficulty copying from the board;
Poor writing and drawing abilities;
Reading and spelling difficulties.

Help for Dyspraxic Children

Audiblox is a system of cognitive exercises, aimed at the development of foundational learning skills. A foundational skill is not the same as a process, strategy or technique. The difference between these can be explained by using the game of basketball as example. In order to be a basketball player, a person first has to master the foundational skills, e.g. passing, dribbling, defense, and shooting. Only after that can he be taught strategies or techniques.

When Audiblox is applied on an individual basis, the program below is highly recommended for children who suffer from dyspraxia. This program places emphasis on the deficits that cause dyspraxia symptoms, i.e. deficits in spatial awareness, sense of direction, sequencing, short-term memory, fine and gross motor coordination, and sensory motor integration, and language.

The first option below is suitable for most preschool children while the second option is suitable for schoolchildren. In order to follow this program you will need an Audiblox kit. The exercises are explained in Part Two of the book The Right to Read and in the supplementary manual, and demonstrated on the Audiblox training video:

Audiblox Dyspraxia Program for Preschool Children

Do the following Audiblox program 5x a week with the child:

Days 1, 3 and 5:
Sequencing exercise 3 for 10 minutes
Arrows exercise step 1 for 2 minutes
Paper Crumpling exercise 1 for 2 minutes
Reading exercise 1 for 5 minutes
Spatial exercise for 1 minute
Counting exercise 1 for 4 minutes
Arrows exercise step 1 for 2 minutes
Paper Crumpling exercise 1 for 2 minutes
Beanbags exercise 1 for 2 minutes.

Days 2 and 4:
Pattern exercise 2 for 10 minutes
Arrows exercise step 1 for 2 minutes
Paper Crumpling exercise 1 for 2 minutes
Reading exercise 1 for 5 minutes
Spatial exercise for 1 minute
Counting exercise 1 for 4 minutes
Arrows exercise step 1 for 2 minutes
Paper Crumpling exercise 1 for 2 minutes
Balance exercise 1 for 2 minutes.

Note that you should omit Pattern exercise 1 and immediately start with Pattern exercise 2.
Start both Sequencing exercise 3 and Pattern exercise 2 with only two blocks, add one block every time he has it correct, and none when he has it wrong, i.e. 2/1/0.
When doing Paper Crumpling exercise 1, do as many repetitions as possible within the allotted time.
You should also follow the language program with the child, as explained in the book The Right to Read.

Audiblox Dyspraxia Program for Schoolchildren:

If the learner is in school do the following Audiblox program 5x a week with him or her:

Days 1, 3 and 5:
Sequencing exercise 3 for 12 minutes
Arrows exercise step 1 for 2 minutes
Paper Crumpling exercise 2 for 2 minutes
Reading exercise 1 for 15 minutes
Arrows exercise step 2 for 2 minutes
Spatial exercise for 1 minute
Counting exercise 2 for 4 minutes
Arrows exercise step 1 for 2 minutes
Writing exercise for 5 minutes
Paper Crumpling exercise 1 for 2 minutes
Beanbags exercise 1 for 3 minutes.

Days 2 and 4:
Pattern exercise 2 for 12 minutes
Arrows exercise step 1 for 2 minutes
Paper Crumpling exercise 2 for 2 minutes
Reading exercise 1 for 15 minutes
Arrows exercise step 2 for 2 minutes
Spatial exercise for 1 minute
Counting exercise 2 for 4 minutes
Arrows exercise step 1 for 2 minutes
Writing exercise for 5 minutes
Paper Crumpling exercise 1 for 2 minutes
Balance exercise 1 for 3 minutes.

Note that you should omit Pattern exercise 1 and immediately start with Pattern exercise 2.
When doing Paper Crumpling exercise 1 or 2, do as many repetitions as possible within the allotted time.
Important note on the Beanbags exercises: As soon as the learner can catch the beanbags properly — i.e. he can catch 9 out of 10 times they are thrown at him — move on to a more difficult level.
Important note on the Balance exercises: Make sure that the learner has mastered one level before moving to a more difficult level.
You should also follow the language program with the learner, as explained in the book The Right to Read.

The Audiblox Dyspraxia Program was compiled by Benetta Strydom, an Audiblox Master Trainer and OT. To obtain follow-up levels for this program contact Benetta at info@audiblox2000.com. Include the ISBN number of the book The Right to Read in your message.

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