Physicians often warn awkwardness of a disease symptom

An awkward behavior may indicate dyspraxia

An upset coffee cup, a fall, spilled food, a collision with other people - often misfortune is used as a reason for annoyance or amusement. If the clumsiness accumulates in a person, sometimes even low intelligence is assumed. Regular, awkward behavior may also point to the lesser-known, but frequently occurring, coordination and developmental disorder of dyspraxia.

Many have never heard of the disease dyspraxia, although it is estimated that about one in every 20 children is affected. A recent poll by the Dyspraxia Foundation has recently shown that coordination and developmental disability often causes mental health problems such as anxiety disorders and social isolation - not least because affected children and adolescents are often victims of bullying. Help-seeking parents often stand in front of locked doors, as the disease is hardly known and researched.

Adolescents suffering from the coordination and development disorder dyspraxia are often teased for their illness. In the further course of the disease, psychological sequelae often develop. (Image: gpointstudio / fotolia.com)

What is dyspraxia??

Dyspraxia is a movement and planning disorder that can manifest itself in various motor areas. Affected persons may, for example, be restricted in the function of gripping. A typical indication of this is the execution of a search before the actual gripping. Dyspraxia can manifest in various forms that can occur either alone or in combination. Symptoms range from general awkwardness, to gross motor skills, to articulation difficulties. Dyspraxia patients also often suffer from dyslexia or arithmetic difficulties.

Enormous mental stress

The Dyspraxia Foundation survey shows that 55 percent of adolescents with dyspraxia between the ages of eleven and 18 years often suffer from anxiety. For those over the age of 25, this number even rises to around 70 percent. Sixty percent of parents of morbidly unskilled children said they did not receive the recognition, help and support their child needed. 43 percent of those affected suffer from loneliness. 63 percent of this group are actually downright isolated.

Frequent bullying victims

The Dyspraxia Foundation points out that affected adolescents are at an increased risk of being bullied. Bad handwriting, speech impediments or difficulties in sports and physical activity often cause bullying. In response, often follow the social withdrawal.

So far unheeded sequelae

"This survey has highlighted the very stressful effects of dyspraxia on teenage mental health," said Sophie Kayani, chair of the Dyspraxia Foundation, in a press release. The Chair explained that the main problems are changing over time. While at a younger age the coordination difficulties outweigh the psychological problems are more burdensome in later years. To make matters worse, the social pressure increases with age, but at the same time the support decreases, warns Kayani.

A more sensitive approach is required

"What we need is a sensitization to dyspraxia to work together to develop early support," Kayani says. The exact causes of the disease are considered insufficiently understood. There is hardly any research on this topic. In Germany dyspraxia is often described as a developmental disorder of motor functions (UEMF). Due to a lack of information on the topic, parents of affected children founded the information portal "Dyspraxie-online.de". (Vb)