According to Kranowitz, Praxis is “the ability to interact successfully with the physical environment, to plan, organise and carry out a sequence of unfamiliar actions and to do what one needs and wants to do.” It is the body's ability to successfully engage with the environment.

Ayres et al have described praxis as the ability by which we figure out how to use our hands and body in skilled tasks like playing with toys; using tools, including a pencil or fork; building a structure, whether a toy block tower or a house; straightening up a room, or vocational abilities. Scientifically, it is a multi-step process which includes:

Understanding what needs to be done (cognition)
Conceptualizing how it needs to be done (ideation)
Planning the action in a step wise manner (motor planning)
Carrying out the actual movement (execution)

Children that experience difficulty with conceptualization and execution of new motor plans may be diagnosed with dyspraxia. Difficulty in praxis or dyspraxia does not only involve the motor component but rather impaired formulation of plan of action. It is the hidden' miscommunication between your sensory and motor systems involving the nerve pathways to the brain and body. There are various types of dyspraxia like:

Somatodyspraxia: due to poor sensory processing
Visuodyspraxia: deficits in vision and visual perception
Praxis on verbal command: difficulty in interpreting verbal commands
Constructional dyspraxia: inability or difficulty to build, assemble, or draw objects
Postural dyapraxia,
Oral dyspraxia: difficulties in making and co-ordinating movements of the vocal tract in absence of speech
Sequencing dyspraxia: difficulty following patterns/sequences

A child with dyspraxia will present to you with:

Clumsiness – difficulty transitioning from one body position to another
Delayed milestones
Poor tactile discrimination – difficulty with feeling or localising a touch stimulus
Impaired body scheme – difficulty relating their bodies to physical objects in environmental space / difficulty imitating actions of others / direction of movement may be disturbed, e.g. toys broken unintentionally
Difficulty with sequencing and timing the actions involved in a motor task
Slowness in learning activities of daily living (especially fastenings)
Problems in gross motor skills and sports
Problems in constructive or manipulative play and poor fine motor abilities
Handwriting difficulties
Accompanying soft neurological signs
Accompanying learning disabilities and attention deficits
Low self-esteem and poor self-concept
Easily frustrated; avoids new situations
Often manipulative
May prefer “talking” to “doing”
Often late and forgetful
Disorganised approach to tasks

Dyspraxia often leads to difficulty in the participation abilities of the child in society and as such needs to be tackled at the soonest.

At Sneh..., we assess and evaluate the child holistically. Our therapists are trained to formulate individualized and child-friendly protocols using
Neuro-developmental and sensory integration therapy.

The treatment programs also include:

Fine motor skills along with core and proximal muscle work
Use of therapy adjuncts like grippers, fabrifaom, theraputty
Filling up questionnaire from teachers to check on performance
and issues in school and being in regular check to check for improvement
Counselling by neuropsychologist for parents and child
Adjunctive rehabilitation like remedial education if required
Group therapy sessions to improve confidence and participation
Regular follow-up with neurophsychologist for tests and counselling
Additional assessments and consultations with other medical professionals as needed

We help you understand your kid better and equip you with all the necessary tools to make them successful in life.