What is invisible disability

Observing a child making a movement in an awkward way, even more so if in sports, often the first reaction is to smile, thinking it is simply a little coordinated. Maybe it also happens to review in him or her our total aversion to movement, and to empathize even more.
Fortunately, in most cases this is actually the case, but be careful not to take anything for granted because in some it could be something much more serious.

Have you ever heard of invisible disability?
These are motor and neurological disorders that are not always easy to diagnose, and therefore often not identified or confused with others. Among these, the best known medically is the Disprassia, in turn inserted within what is called Motor Coordination Disorder o DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder).

WHAT ARE DCD and DYSPRASSIA
To explain what it is, it is Veronica Saccà, neuropsychomotricist of the developmental age. “Over the years a certain confusion has arisen because the two terms have often been superimposed but, although very similar, they do not mean the same thing”. The DCD it is a disorder of the ability to control and execute the movement whether or not aimed at the use of objects, without obvious neurological pathologies; while the Disprassia it is a disorder of the execution of an intentional action and more particularly the difficulty in planning and making intentional movements, aimed at achieving a purpose or objective. “Basically, in the first the difficulty is in how to do an action on a motor level, while in the second how to plan it».

DCD is therefore a purely physical disorder, with the child awkward in making a movement but perfectly able to think about it, while in Dyspraxia the problem occurs precisely in the cognitive processing phase. The latter can be primary or pure when it does not present evident neurological signs and is not associated with other pathologies, or secondary if accompanied by other pathologies and syndromes such as developmental, cognitive disorders, Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, dyslexia or other.
Dyspraxia is included in the macro category of DCDs but a dyspraxic child may also have no motor coordination disorders.

INCIDENCE, DIAGNOSIS AND COURSE
Dyspraxia affects about 5-6% of children between the ages of 5 and 11, more boys than girls. Diagnosis often occurs around the age of 5 or in conjunction with the start of elementary school because it is at that point that the parents notice some more difficulties that previously they only attributed to the age of the child. “The signs, however, are also there previously, but it is not easy to recognize them»Explains the expert.
Unfortunately, this is a problem that you learn to manage over time but that never disappears permanently. «When they reach the stage of adolescence, there is improvement and it is due to the fact that over the years the dyspraxic children learn to implement different strategies to make up for their shortcomings. This helps a lot in the daily management but unfortunately when you have to learn a new movement the planning difficulty returns ».

ALARM BELLS
Identifying Dyspraxia is not always simple, but there are a few red flags to keep an eye out for, and that if found suggest the need for further investigation. Although without too many alarms, in fact, the timeliness of the diagnosis is essential because an undiagnosed child often experiences frustration and low self-esteem. “Considered by everyone, playmates in the first place, lazy and listless, he tends to withdraw into himself because he is ashamed of not being able to do things”.
In pre-school age, a dyspraxic child may struggle to grab the ball, use force, draw, color, ride a bike or tricycle and confuse the days and timeline between yesterday, today and tomorrow.

In school age, they are added difficulty tying shoes, making a puzzle, organizing space on the paper and school material, using precision tools such as compasses, learning things by heart, engaging in mathematics and writing on a graphic level.

A dyspraxic person is often also clumsy, struggling to identify the things that touch him or the parts of the body that are touched and to orient himself in space.

Muscle tone and strength, Furthermore, they are less developed, and this entails little aptitude for sports that require many variables to be organized. “With the ball they can have great difficulties but, on the contrary, excel in closed-loop disciplines such as swimming»Explains Veronica Saccà.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A DOUBT
If you notice that some of these signs are present in your child, the first thing to do is to contact a child neuropsychiatrist for a real and serious evaluation of any problem. In case of confirmed Dyspraxia, further investigations will follow to understand if it is associated with other pathologies, and only at that point and on the advice of the doctor who made the diagnosis, it will be possible to start a path with a therapist of developmental neuromotion.