Dyspraxia and Best Resources

Jam is currently 4.75 years old

As well as being a dyspraxic mom parenting a dyspraxic kid, I also happen to be a research junkie. And I have a big ol' fancy expensive Master's Degree in Library and Information Science to back that up. I have hundreds of sites evaluated, categorized and periodically reviewed for dozens of topics of interest. And, of course, one of those topics of interest is dyspraxia.

Much of what's available online is the general 'introduction to dyspraxia' stuff- what it is, symptoms, treatments, all that. Easy to find and very basic. If you're here, though, I'm sure you've found all of that stuff on your own already.

What I want to share are a few resources that have been exceptionally valuable to me by offering more details and in-depth info specific to dyspraxia.

CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research - out of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, the CANChild site offers an amazing amount of solid information on Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia), including research, measurables and printable educational materials for parents, educators and service providers. Another place to start is this online presentation. There's so much here I can't even break it down. I practically bookmarked every single page of the site. Plus, the layout is nice and easy to navigate.

Skills for Action- this is the site of a physiotherapist in Cape Town, South Africa with many years of experience. And she happens to go into detail about everything I'm interested in- dyspraxia, low muscle tone, the highly sensitive temperament, SPD and handwriting. And she includes many practical, useful ideas. The information presented here is what directly led me to switching our therapies focus from SPD to motor skills.  

University of Hull- Understanding Dyslexia and Dyspraxia- this is a pdf available online and geared towards incoming Hull students. Focusing on the cognitive aspects of dyspraxia, it discusses, in detail, typical strengths and weaknesses, especially in terms of learning style. A major find, this is one of my favorite resources. 

OT Mom Learning Activities- created by a former pediatric occupational therapist who specialized in learning disabilities and sensory modulation disorders. She's got so much here I've ended up bookmarking dozens of pages. Coordination, midline, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, SPD and handwriting. And she does a great job of explaining what all of these things are and why they're important. And she includes a ton of activities (with photos) that my kid will actually do because they look like fun and games. Which they are!

dysTALK- this site covers many of the 'dys' conditions- dyspraxia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.  Many articles and short videos by experts (such as Amanda Kirby) plus community forums. And everything is separated out by the specific learning difficulty making for easy navigation. 

Learning Challenges Board at The Well-Trained Mind Community Forum- it is insane how much I've learned through the collective knowledge of parents at this forum. Information really hard to find elsewhere. Just do a keyword search within the forum for 'dyspraxia', 'dysgraphia', 'processing speed', 'memory', 'executive function' or what have you and plan to spend some time. I've lost many, many hours of sleep perusing this forum. 

My Experience of Dyspraxia- a girl named Izzy writes a post about her experiences growing up with mild developmental dyspraxia. What it affected, how she fared in school and where she is now. Her writing style is accessible and what she wrote resonated with me. A useful read if you're interested in what challenges may lie ahead for your kid. This was hard to find and I'm glad I did.

Mothering the Nuances- this is a blog about a young son's diagnosis of dyspraxia, hypotonia, etc. There are only 21 posts, ending in December 2011 which is really too bad. I normally wouldn't include a blog not currently being maintained but she has a great writing style and talks a lot about her son's schooling experiences which I am always interested in.

Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder by Lucy Jane Miller-   This is actually a book, not a site, but I included it because it's an important book. While there are a number of books out there focusing on SPD they don't often include much specifically on dyspraxia. This book discusses dyspraxia a lot and offers much in the way of strategies at home, at school and in the community. If your kid is dyspraxic, this is THE book.  (Note: I linked to the Amazon listing solely for the purpose of looking at customer reviews (like reverse 'showrooming'. This is most likely available through your library. Or, if you're poor like me, try to buy it used. Or please consider supporting your local independent bookstore.)

Lastly, because I'm always interested in the latest research, etc, every few months, I'll check with my local library's online health databases, like PubMed and Proquest Family Health using keywords like 'dyspraxia', 'developmental dyspraxia' and 'developmental coordination disorder'.  Jam is not on the autism spectrum but I've often found interesting research on autism with dyspraxia as a co-morbidity so I try to use a broad scope when searching. The information is still valuable.