Valerie Dejean
New York, NY phone 1-877-4AUTKIDDiscussion: Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Auditory Processing Disorder,Motor Planning, Dyspraxia
home
Valerie DejeanNew York, NY phone 1-877-4AUTKIDDiscussion: Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Auditory Processing Disorder,Motor Planning, Dyspraxiahome |
|
Motor Planning, PraxisMotor planning or Praxis is the next level of sensory integration thatis imposed on a foundation of sensory registration and regulation, andsensory integration and body schema. Praxis is the ability to self- organize.It is the ability of the brain to conceive, organize, and carry out a sequenceof unfamiliar actions.Dyspraxia means a reduced ability to carry out non-learned movements,despite adequate motor and conceptual capacity. Praxis is believed to bea single function involving several basic processes. The first is ideationor generating an idea of how one might interact with the environment. Next is the organization of a program of action that includes the correctsequence and timing of the steps involved. This is the process most accuratelyreferred to as motor planning. The final process is the execution or theactual performance of a motor act. |
Selections from Valerie Dejean's new book on Autism, Tomatis and Sensory Integration Motor Planning |
We need praxis in order to develop higher-level skills. It is afterthe infant moves beyond the "hard wired" functions of sitting, standing,walking and babbling that praxis is called upon. These innate functionsoccur without praxis. Once the baby moves from sensory motor play (bangingthe rattle) to more purposeful play (putting the rattle into a cup), hestarts to rely more on praxis. He needs to have and idea (ideation) ofwhat he wants to do; he needs to have a plan (organization) of how he willsequence and time his movements; and finally he needs to perform (execute)the action.
When we have adequate praxis for successful behavior, we can adapt effectivelyto our environment. The better the baby is able to do this, the more successful,or adaptive, his interactions will be. It is through successful sensorymotor interactions that we develop responses that lead to further and moreadvanced interactions with our environment.
All of this, of course, is dependent upon good sensory integration anda good body schema. Thus, motor planning or praxis is the ability of thebrain to conceive, organize, and carry out a sequence of unfamiliar actions.In dyspraxic syndrome there is a reduced ability to carry out non-learnedmovements, even though there is adequate motor and conceptual capacityto do so. Difficulty with imitative behavior is a key indicator of dyspraxianecessitating that children organize themselves cognitively, rather thanperform tasks automatically.
This often becomes a source of frustration for them. Motor planningdifficulties can manifest on a larger scale in the child's difficulty inorganizing their environment and themselves in that environment. Learningroutine and how one fits into the routine may take longer. Children withdifficulties may perform slowly, or not be able to perform at all, whenasked to follow multi-stepped directions. They may require a longer exposureto a new activity in order to learn it. They may initially use trail anderror approaches to a task until they can generate a motor plan about howto approach the activity. This can also carry on to higher levels of reasoning.
They can have difficulty organizing their thoughts and language to expressthemselves. Understanding the particular sensitivities of a child not onlyhelps explain some of the child's behaviors, but also helps caregiversand professionals determine better ways of interacting with the child.For example, a child who stringently avoids eye contact may need to useall his energy to concentrate on what is being said to him. Instead ofinsisting on eye contact, a caregiver may find better results from bendingdown and speaking gently into the child's ear.