Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Handwriting
What is Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)?
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also known as Dyspraxia in some contexts, is a cognitive motor disorder that affects a child’s ability to plan, sequence, and execute novel physical tasks in an efficient and well-coordinated manner. Children with DCD find it hard to adapt their movements to different situations. They take a longer time and more practice to learn tasks that require motor coordination, such as writing, using utensils, riding a bicycle, tying shoe-laces, or ball skills.
Motor Skills:
- May be clumsy or awkward in movements, may bump into, spill or knock things over.
- May be delayed in developing certain motor skills such as riding a bicycle, catching a ball, jumping rope, doing up buttons and tying shoelaces.
- May have difficulties with activities that require coordinated use of both sides of the body (e.g. swinging a bat, handling a hockey stick, learning to play a musical instrument).
- May have difficulty with handwriting – especially in balancing the need for speed and accuracy e.g. handwriting may be neat but very slow.
Emotions/Behaviors
- May show a lack of interest in keeping up with self-management tasks.
- Often tired from routine activities, given that physical coordination requires significant effort.
- May avoid socializing with peers and prefer interacting with much younger children.
- May develop decreased self-confidence and avoid sports games with peers.
- May show frustration in daily life occupations due to stress for speed to complete tasks.
Our Expertise in Handwriting Skills
Handwriting is not an isolated motor skill. It is an output that requires an integration of motor, visual, auditory, and cognitive abilities, which makes handwriting an especially difficult task for children with DCD to master. We build handwriting skills for children with DCD through some of the following strategies:
- Integrate retained primitive reflexes: Retained primitive reflexes impair sustained postural control and coordination. These reflexes must be integrated using targeted exercises to bring about efficiency in movements.
- Build postural stability: Weak core muscles impact not just the posture but the ability to breathe deeply and calmly. We support engagement in exercises to build strength in core muscles, balance, and coordination, in session and at home.
- Targeted pencil control skills: This may include learning to grasp a pencil, prewriting and letter/number strokes, and to build finger movement skills.
- Support regulation and motivation: We use talk therapy to guide the child to determine his own thoughts, emotions, and actions for sustained engagement to make progress.
- Teach executive functioning skills in planning and organization: To put thoughts into a procedural order and to be able to monitor the performance against a criteria or standard for completion of the writing task.
- Support positive habits towards writing tasks: To support all learned skills to be applied as consistently as possible using a variety of interest-based and imposed writing tasks in session.
- Build ocularmotor skills: To have the eyes work in a smooth and efficient manner using targeted exercises and vestibular-based activities.
As EF skills are affected in children and adolescents with ADHD, your child may face the following challenges at different life stages:
Partnering with Parents in Motor and Handwriting Skills
Parents play a vital role in supporting a child’s progress in motor skills and handwriting skills. The occupational therapist can provide consultation and support to parents on their ongoing efforts to:
- Create a Structured Environment: Creating an environment with structured physical spaces and materials and predictable routines help children with DCD manage their daily activities more efficiently.
- Encourage participation in physical activities: Encourage your child to participate in a variety of indoor and outdoor physical activities, focusing on a growth mindset to try them out rather than skill level. These activities should provide opportunities to practice and experience different motor skills.
Teach self-management skills in daily living and schooling related tasks: Break tasks down into manageable steps and explicitly teach active problem-solving. Guide them by asking indirect questions that prompt them to think about the sequence of steps (e.g. “What should you do first?”). Be mindful of their frustration levels and be ready to offer clear guidance when needed.
Experienced and Qualified Occupational Therapists in Singapore
Finding the right therapist who aligns with your values, skills and experience is crucial for both your and your child’s success. An occupational therapist is not merely a professional providing a service, but a trusted partner in your parenting journey.
At Cornerstone Therapy, we meticulously select our team based on their character traits, years of relevant experience, commitment to family empowerment, and knowledge in intervention approaches to build Self-Regulation, Organisation and Motivation (ROM).
The ROM Theory is the cornerstone of our therapy because we prioritise ensuring that your kid is regulated, organised and motivated during therapy. This ensures that the child will be actively engaged in the activities specially designed for them. This active engagement is how we achieve meaningful progress in speech, communication, and social skills, whether it’s through executive functioning skills training, speech and language therapy or other therapeutic forms.
By building and developing these skills, children in Singapore can then apply them to real-world environments more effectively, enabling them to interact with others more successfully, and embrace a broader array of learning opportunities. These are the outcomes that our occupational therapists strive to achieve.
Location: 20 Sin Ming Lane Midview City
#03-66 Singapore 573968