Dyspraxia and WM
SYMPTOMS
WORKING MEMORY & LEARNING
INTERVENTION
SYMPTOMS
Here is a typical profile of a child with dyspraxia.
From as early as six months, Joseph’s mom was worried about him. She noticed that he took longer to crawl and spent a long time shuffling on his bottom. He often displayed a lot of repetition of arm and hand movements. By the time Joseph began school, he experienced difficulties in writing, drawing, and copying. His writing was very messy and he struggled to write on the lines. In social situations, he often would be very excitable and would flap his hands.
It is possible to detect potential motor difficulties from as early as six months. As a parent will be able to notice if your child is falling behind by looking at developmental milestones. For example, between 6 and 12 months, a child should be able to sit unaided, roll from back to stomach, and make purposeful arm movements. Indications that a child may be struggling with these gross motor skills include repetitive arm and hand movements, difficulty sitting unaided, and ‘bottom shuffling’. By the time the child begins school, they usually experience difficulties in writing, drawing and copying, and engage in stereotypical behavior such as hand flapping and clapping when excited. It is also difficult for children with dyspraxia to do well in tasks that require them to track movement and balance. This makes it hard for them on the playground, especially in a game of catch or riding a bicycle.
WORKING MEMORY & LEARNING
Children with dyspraxia are 7x more likely than those without motor difficulties to have poor visual-spatial memory (used for remembering directions and locations). As a result of this working memory problem, children with dyspraxia struggle in all areas of learning, especially math. This means that for every mistake a student makes in a mental math exercise, a student with dyspraxia make 7 more of these errors.
The interesting thing is that even if they have a high IQ, their poor working memory means that they still do badly in school. Even simple things like remembering directions while walking to a new location or a different room in school can be hard for them.
INTERVENTION
Can we improve learning outcomes in students with dyspraxia? A popular view is that exercise will ‘readjust’ the brain and help them become better students.
I tested this theory in a recent study. Students with dyspraxia participated in a 13-week program of directed exercises with a physical therapist, including balancing and throwing and catching activities. As you would expect, their motor skills improved: they were able to balance better, even throw and catch things without too much difficulty.
However, all this extra physical activity did not improve their learning. They still had very low scores in reading and math, much lower than they should for their age.
Why didn’t the physical intervention make a difference to these students’ learning? The answer is simple: working memory is the foundation of learning. It is only when we train working memory that we will see improvements in learning.
I am currently working with occupational therapists in a project to improve learning in students with dyspraxia using working memory training. If you are interested in finding out more, email me. MORE on brain training.
FURTHER READING
Working memory and children with developmental coordination disorders. In: Working memory and neurodevelopmental conditions, pp. 161-187. Psychology Press, 2006. MORE
The Effect of Task-Specific Training on Learning and Memory in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 107, 473-480, 2008. READ IT
Working Memory, Reading and Mathematical Skills in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 96, 20-36, 2006. READ IT
Working Memory and Learning in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder and Specific Language Impairment. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41, 251-262, 2008. READ IT
Comparing Language Profiles: Children with Specific Language Impairment and Developmental Coordination Disorder. International Journal of Communication and Language Disorders, 43, 165-180, 2008. READ IT
A Comparison of Working Memory Profiles and Learning in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder and Moderate Learning Difficulties. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 21, 473-487, 2007.
A comparison of working memory profiles of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder and Moderate Learning Difficulties. Dyspraxia Review, 4, 29-42, 2005.
