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#REDIRECT [[Developmental coordination disorder]]
'''Motor skills disorder''' (also known as '''motor coordination disorder''' or '''motor dyspraxia''') is a human [[developmental disorder]] and is [[neurological]] in origin. Many children with [[autism]] or [[Asperger syndrome]] experience defecits in motor skills development, which often manifests as abnormal clumsiness, but is not major enough to be cosidered a disorder in and of itself.
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The disorder has its basis in the [[brain]], a network of [[neural]] connections that allow humans to process the information received. Motor Dyspraxia is a result of weak or disorganised connections in the brain, which then translates to trouble with [[motor coordination]]. Movements are performed because the brain sends messages to the area requiring action. The dyspraxia is a result of weak or poorly structured [[neural pathway]]s to the moving parts of the body.
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Clumsiness and tendency to fall down are a matter of poor balance and gross motor coordination. The origin of all of these difficulties is the vestibular system of the inner [[ear]]. The vestibule is an organ responsible for maintaining balance and coordination and is located beside the [[cochlea]], which acts as a sound receptor. Although they attend to different information, the proximity of the vestibule and cochlea allows them to complement each other. The other consequence of their relationship is that if one system is not functioning well, the other is concurrently affected.
People with dyspraxia also tend to have an overly sensitive [[tactile]] system that causes them to perceive the most benign touch as unpleasant. They may also have a very low pain-threshold or have an automatic reaction of fear – tactile defensiveness – when touched. This is a result of a [[sensory integrative dysfunction]], which describes a problem in the way the brain interprets information received from the senses. This problem, like that of coordination, originates in the vestibule, as all sensory information is transmitted to the vestibule before being sent to the [[cerebellum]], the part of the brain associated with movement.
The causes of this disorder are unknown, but it is thought to originate with inner ear problems, possibly resultant from head injuries or childhood diseases. Children with motor skills disorder often suffer low self-esteem resulting from poor ability at sports and teasing by other children.
== What it is like to have MSD ==
One adult, who eventually learned some [[coping skill]]s, writes:
:"Athletics were always especially difficult for me. In high school, a physical education coach called me ''the most uncoordinated person to ever climb upon a trampoline in the history of the school'' (in front of 60 other kids). Of course, it was humiliating then, and the words have stayed with me for more than 40 years, but I now realize he was on actually to something. Another early clue was my dismal performance in a high school [[touch typing]] class. My solution, totally unacceptable to the teacher, was a single finger method, a variation of which works very well even today ''if I watch the finger(s)''."
== Coping skills and tips ==
[[Coping skill]]s are ways to overcome adversities, disdvantages, and disabilities. Here are several tips:
*1. Watching what you are doing seems to help. (The example of watching fingers on the keys when typing is a good example).
*2. Spellcheckers can help identify many transposition errors. The ieSpell program is free and works well with most Internet programs. [http://www.iespell.com/]
*3. Perform proofreading ''in addition'' to spellchecking. As helpful as they are, spellchecking programs usually will ''not'' flag transposed letters which result in a correctly-spelled but unintended word.
*4. Some people report that using a program which takes oral commands is helpful on computers.
*5. a [[computer mouse]] works much better than multiple keystrokes for some because the user ''sees'' where it is going, and ''points'' at what is wanted.
==See Also==
*[[Dyspraxia]]
*[[Tic disorder]]
*[[Autism]]
*[[Asperger syndrome]]
== Sources ==
*[http://www.listenandlearn.com.au/type/dyspraxia.htm Dyspraxia: A Motor Planning Disorder]
*[http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/motor_skills_disorder.htm Motor Skills Disorder]
*[http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2640.htm eMedicine website, Motor Skills Disorder]
[[Category:Neurological disorders|Motor skills disorder]]
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