Developmental Dyspraxia—Implications for the Child, Family and School

This article is a synthesis of current literacy on developmental dyspraxia and aims to alert experts in education from the early-childhood level to the implications of dyspraxia for the child, the family, and the school. The paper posits a clear definition of dyspraxia and clearly identifies common signs and symptoms of dyspraxia. The paper further gives educators specific pointers to the incidence of dyspraxia in preschool and school-age children for effective diagnosis and psychoacademic intervention. The physical, intellectual, emotional, social, language and, sensory implications of dyspraxia for the child, the family and the school is exhaustively discussed. The authors finally reviewed extensively current directions in helping dyspraxic children. Based on the review, the authors conclude that the duty lies heavily on psychoacademics in the school system to identify and address cases of dyspraxia at the earliest onset. The authors recommended, inter alia, that school counsellors employ a tailor-made programme of career education for the dyspraxic as this impairment can seriously interfere with their vocational development.