Re: Apraxia or Dyspraxia ????????

February 8, 2004

Wondering myself, I did an ASK JEEVES, and I am copying and pasting.

What is the difference between apraxia and dyspraxia?

Apraxia refers to the inability to coordinate thought and movement, while

dyspraxia is less severe, referring to difficulty coordinating thought and

movement.

[ ] Apraxia or Dyspraxia ????????

Hi,

Can someone tell me the difference between dyspraxia and apraxia.

Thank you,

Ginny

February 8, 2004

Hi Ginny!

Here is an archive of an archive answer for this question:

" And for the person that asked about apraxia/dyspraxia. Yes in

theory there is a difference in what the names mean -which sounds

nice in theory -but doesn't work like that in reality which is where

we are all supposed to live (except in Disney) 's definition

and answer was excellent on this. Here is another archive that sums

it up:

" Deborah is right overall -however apraxia/dyspraxia in the US is the

reversible diagnosis -a child can be diagnosed with dyspraxia 'or'

apraxia, and to many professionals in the US it means the same

thing. In fact Tanner's first SLP diagnosis of apraxia was " I believe

Tanner has apraxia -or dyspraxia -they mean the same thing " and when

I asked her to spell that so I could look it up she wrote on a

little yellow stickie paper for me " dyspraxia apraxia "

I read all the " definitions " of apraxia or dyspraxia, including how

one means motor planning problems of the body -but can affect

speech " dyspraxia " and one means motor planning problems of speech

which can affect body movement " apraxia " which sounded the same to

me but I'm not an expert (and the craziness of those who then add

words like " of speech " after and/or " childhood " or " developmental "

in front of apraxia/dyspraxia, which makes it even more confusing

since it implies that once your child grows to become a teenager and

then an adult he will need to keep updating his diagnosis, and that

if it also affects the body you need to say CASAB childhood apraxia

of speech and of body, TASAB teenage apraxia of speech and of body,

and then of course your child's grows old enough for AASAB...well

you get the point!) (links for two who grew up with apraxia since

childhood - an apraxic teen and an apraxic adult)

http://www.cherab.org/news/.html

http://www.cherab.org/news/.html )

Children with apraxia and dysarthria are quite

different. It is common, however, to confuse apraxia and dysarthria,

says Dr. , chief of child development at the Chicago

College of Medicine. While experts are able to differentiate between

these two neurological disorders, he says, " These disorders are

poorly understood by physicians and by a lot of speech therapists as

well. " A further complication is the possibility of phonological

disorders, apraxia, and dysarthria occurring together in the same

child. Language disorders may also be present. And the severity of

each may vary. "

http://www.cherab.org/information/latetalkerhandout.html

In short to know for sure what the diagnosis means -check with the

person that diagnosed your child and ask them to clarify! Once the

medical communities pick up the diagnosis of apraxia for once this

craziness will end! (and yes we are working hard at trying to make

this a reality!) "

=====

February 9, 2004

Wow - Your son sounds a lot like my 6 year old son now. He has overcome so

much and everyone around him thinks he is " cured. " I, however, see how he copes

with things everyday and still has to work so much harder than the other

children in his class. He is in mainstream first grade and doing great, but

that is due to his hard work, practice, patience and his coping skills he has