Dyspraxia is a disorder that involves abnormal development of muscle function.  When a person has dyspraxia, he/she will often have coordination problems. This medical condition becomes apparent in early childhood and symptoms can persist to adulthood.  Dyspraxia has also been labelled as a lifelong motor coordination disorder because the symptoms that are seen in childhood, though partly manageable, may also progress or still be present during adulthood. The basic concern with dyspraxia is that gross movements and fine motor function may be affected.  Patients with dyspraxia also demonstrate a wide array of symptoms in varying degrees.

There are no known causes for dyspraxia.  What medical experts know is that the transmission of motor signals from the brain to the various parts of the body is the main affectation.  It is also said that traumatic brain injuries may also cause the developmental motor disorder in dyspraxia patients.  Dyspraxia may first be noticed with babies that have difficulty crawling.  The condition will then be more obvious as the child starts to stand and walk.  In childhood, some patients with dyspraxia will have difficulty in doing everyday tasks like holding and grasping objects or undressing or unbuttoning shirts.  These difficulties may then progress to become educational and social hindrances because children patients of dyspraxia are unable to develop the motor skills expected at their age.  Many of these coordination problems will develop as patients grow into adults.  As adults, patients with dyspraxia may still have difficulty in doing coordination exercises and some will have problems with driving and other motor skills that require muscle interplay and coordination.

Aside from the motor coordination problems, patients with dyspraxia may also have mental concerns like memory and idea processing problems. Early detection is key in the management of dyspraxia.  Coordination problems can be better managed during early childhood for example compared to therapy sessions commencing at adulthood.  Management is typically based on the symptoms present.  A combination of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and other activities are combined to help patients with motor coordination problems.