Have you ever wonder why your child has so much trouble doing something that seems so simple, or simply looks awkward doing it? It wasn’t until I learned about Motor Planning that things started to make sense.
Your typical daily activities that you go about your day without any thought to it are done by what you may call muscle memory, yet these are exactly your child’s daily living struggles.
So what exactly is Developmental Coordination Disorder?
Basically it is the inability or struggle to follow a set of steps that you must perform in a specific order in order to complete a task. These tasks are coordinated in a flash by your brain, but this communication between your brain and your muscles to perform these steps properly occur so fast that seem second nature to you are now having trouble communicating causing a coordination disorder. It is also known as Motor Planning or Dyspraxia and in years past as the Clumsy Child Syndrome (good thing they changed the name)
So what happens when there is Motor Planning Issues?
Your brain and your muscles are practically out of sync and are not communicating at the expected speed so the movements by the muscle and the brain communication are out of sync and cause confusion. The individual may not perform the steps in the correct order or is confused on what to do making it seem like an awkward movement in the body.
What are some common signs?
- Difficulty putting on or taking off clothes or shoes
- Tends to fall or trip frequently for no apparent reason
- Drops things
- Difficulty learning new motor skills or transitioning from one motor activity to another
- Difficulty eating, using scissors, catching a ball, zipping up/down a jacket, etc.
Is there a “cure” for motor planning?
No, Motor planning is not a disease so there is not cure. It’s a Developmental Coordination Disorder, the key is the word disorder meaning a condition that will always be with the individual for life. Its part of who they are. However, there are treatments to help the individual improve motor planning movements to help them in their daily living.
Just like with any treatment, the earlier the treatment the better the outcome. It is recommended that the individual gets gross motor and fine motor exercises through physical and occupational therapy, in addition the individual should practice outside of therapy sessions and have support of family, school, and everyone around.
Anyone with Developmental Coordination Disorder can do the same things that someone without it can, it will just take a more practice and perseverance. Like learning to ride a bicycle, it requires balance skill and a lot of planning of the muscles, it may take a little longer to learn, but with the right support this and any skill can be learned. Having the right support from those around makes a big impact, sharing the information on what motor planning or developmental coordination disorder is with others is important so that others can understand and help instead of setting the person aside because they do not understand. Now that you know more on DCD, we hope you can share what you learn and spread awareness on DCD and help others have a common knowledge so they can empathize rather than sympathize and provide support in their community.