Coordinated movements are important to complete basic daily tasks, but for some children developmental milestones are not reached because of a chronic neurological disorder. Developmental coordination disorder, commonly known as DCD, occurs when there is a delay in motor skill development, which can cause difficulty in coordinating movements (Cairney, 2010, p. e67).
Symptoms of this disorder include clumsiness, difficulties with fine and gross motor skills, as well as sensory integrative dysfunction (Missiuna, p. 2). Physical characteristics the child may exhibit are delayed movements, difficulty learning new motor skills, problems with balance, and difficulties with skills that involve constant feedback to plan new movements such as printing or handwriting (Missiuna, p. 3). Children with DCD must overcome individual constraints when it comes to any task. They commonly have low muscle mass and low muscle tone, reduced motor control, and lack body awareness (Missiuna, p. 3). As for emotional characteristics, children with DCD often show little interest in activities that demand a physical reaction, demonstrate frustration, low self-confidence, and a lack of motivation (Missiuna, p. 3). Functional constraints they regularly struggle with include difficulty judging distance of objects, planning and execution of tasks, attention, and anxiety (Barnhart, 2003, p. 725).
This disorder affects 5-6% of school-aged children and is diagnosed more in boys than girls (Cairney, 2010,
Boys are two times more likely than girls to receive such a diagnosis. (King, 2013).
higher in boys than girls. People have started to be more aware of autism and its symptoms to get
My Bachelor’s in Exercise Science has equipped knowledge of the human anatomy and physiology, and exercise testing and prescription for people of different ages and health conditions. During my attendance at the University of Texas at Arlington, I joined the Little Mavs Movement Academy directed by Dr. Priscilla Cacola. I volunteered for a year in this program; while in the program I had the opportunity to learn about developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and how it interferes with activities of daily living and learning of
If parents, teachers, and other professionals discover a child's learning disability early and provide the right kind of help, it can give the child a chance to develop skills needed to lead a successful and productive life. The LD online website provides a long list of characteristics that might indicate a learning disability between the ages of Kindergarten and high school. Some common signs of a learning disability that as a teacher we can look for in the classroom would be, a student speaks later than most children, pronunciation problems, slow vocabulary growth, student is often unable to find the right word, difficulty rhyming words, trouble learning numbers, alphabet, colors, and shapes, extremely restless and easily distracted, trouble interacting with peers, difficulty following directions or routines, and lastly the fine motor skills are slow to develop. Once the teacher or parents can understand what type of learning disability a child has they can help them succeed academically by providing instruction better and understanding the person
Research is continually being conducted everyday with this common disorder. Many parents main concerns is the use of medication to treat their child. Many doctors nowadays show the parents the current research of studies being done and their effectiveness as well as providing papers for families for their willingness to participate in ongoing studies to better help understand their childs disorder and the best way to treat it ( Görtz-dorten, Breuer, Hautmann, Rothenberger, Döpfner, 2011).
Different disabilities may affect development in different ways. However, with support from teachers and parents, these affects can be minimalised. A learning disability such as Dyslexia (a common type of learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling) could lead to a child becoming frustrated which could further lead to behavioural issues. Moreover, without assistance, Dyslexia will allow for the child to become unmotivated and prove to be a hindrance to them as they look to strive in later life. Physical disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy (a neurological condition that effects movement and coordination) will affect development as children will have difficulties communicating, eating and drinking and with their
Symptoms – Intellectual disability with is attributed to social deficits, language impairment and repetitive behaviors. Can also suffer from one or more of the following: seizures, GI disorders, immune dysfunction, sleep disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and ADHD (Symptoms, 2013). 2. Causes a. Vaccines – Are the children receiving too many vaccines at once? How separating into multiple visits may ease the minds of parents.
Some of the symptoms are; “Fatigue, Learning difficulties,Intellectual disability, and Muscle weakness.” as stated by Chad Haldeman. DMD affects the physical domain because it weakens the muscles. It begins severely in the legs and pelvis area and less severely in the arms , neck and other areas of the body.( Chad Haldeman,2014). It’ll affect the everyday movement of people along with affecting
To discuss many of the issues relevant to this disorder, and to further expose the difficulties faced by the parents whom children suffer from this same condition, this interview report displays an extensive Q&A session
Children with cognitive developmental delays see an impact on their normal growth. This impact is most often not physical, and can be much harder to spot, especially with very young children. Still, these cognitive delays in development can harm cognitive skills and thinking abilities. Delays in cognitive abilities often come from genetic defects or disorders, major medical problems fright after birth, or environmental exposures to harmful pollutants (WedMD 4). Whatever the cause of the delay, it can be seen in a number of signs that show how the young child is struggling to keep up with the normal cognitive development of other children their age. In children 1-2 years of age, delays can be seen in a lack of gestures, pointing to objects and the inability to understand the function of objects (WebMD 4). The inability to imitate words is another sign, which shows that cognitive delays are often correlated with speech and language
it is more popular in boy as it occurs in 1 and 4000, but can also be present in girl bieng that 1 in 8000 get fragile X syndrome
Development coordination disorder (DCD) is a common diagnostic term used internationally to describe children who have a motor skills disorder that interferes significantly with their successful participation in everyday activities at home and school (Morgan, Long 2012). Studies show that six percent of mostly boys are affected by a developmental coordination disorder between the ages of five to twelve. Developmental coordination disorder comes with motor deficits that can be associated with social and emotional problems, and most children can outgrow the disorder. Core symptoms of this disorder can be broken down into two main criteria, criterion A, performance in daily activities that require motor coordination is substantially below that
Demyelination is a major genetic problem among boys of mainly the ages of 4 to 8. ALD is a recessive sex linked genetic disease that is inherited mainly through the maternal side of the family if the mother is the carrier. According to the genetic cross it proved that there is ½ chance of a child to acquire ALD if the mother was a carrier. According to statistics each year, 1 in every 15000 males acquires ALD. 1/5 Females (carriers) acquire neurological problems that resemble ALD (http://healthresearchfunding.org/24-notable-adrenoleukodystrophy-statistics/
There are slightly more boys born with the syndrome than girls. It is also seen in all ethnic groups.
Because CP describes a group of neurological and physical abnormalities, people affected by the disorder may have other neurological and physical problems. CP may not be noticeable at birth. Children with CP develop predictable developmental milestones slowly because of their motor impairments, and these delays in reaching milestones are usually the first symptoms (Gale Enc). Doctors diagnose CP by checking the infant’s motor skills, looking for developmental delays, and considering the child’s medical history. Many Doctors use the Early Motor Pattern Profile (EMPP) to help in their evaluations. The EMPP indicates variations in muscle tone, reflexes, and movement and is used to identify children during the first year of life who are at risk for the development of CP. The EMPP can be done during a routine office visit. Observation and minimal handling can detect abnormal motor patterns, making it quick and inexpensive. EMPP is the beginning of evaluation and intervention (“Early” 692). CP is a neurological disorder affecting motor control. It is the most common physical disability in childhood. It is a lifelong condition that varies from person to person. It can be very mild or extremely severe. There is no known cure, and the cause is not completely understood. The four main categories of CP are spastic, athetoid, ataxic, and mixed. Spastic is stiff and difficult movement. Athetoid is involuntary and uncontrolled movement. Ataxic is a disturbed sense of balance and