Co-ordination - Part 2 (Coordination Disorders In Children)

Effects of Coordination Disorders in children

Children described using the term coordination difficulties cannot have their difficulties with movement explained by a general medical condition (Cerebral Palsy, Hemiplegia or Muscular Dystrophy) and the criteria should not meet Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)

Children who have  coordination disorder may also have one or more of these co-morbid conditions: 

·       Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsive behaviour)

·         Autism spectrum disorder.

·         Dyscalculia (difficulty with numbers).

·         Dysgraphia (an inability to write neatly or draw).

·         Dyslexia (difficulty with reading and spelling).

·         Hypotonia (low muscle tone).

·         Nonverbal learning disorder.

·         Sensory processing disorder.

·         Specific language impairment (SLI).

·         Visual perception deficits.

Management strategies that support the child with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) (at preschool, school and/or home):

·   Encouragement to persist and attempt tasks.

·   Provide opportunities to succeed by simplifying activities.

·   Teach new skills in a step by step manner and keep the environment as predictable as possible during teaching.

·   Introduce new skills or environments on an individual basis before introducing peers.

·   Use simple language and instructions.

·   Provide visual as well as verbal cues.

·   Provide extra time to complete tasks.

·   Recognize and reinforce the child’s strengths.

·   Appropriate set up for school desk.

·   Set realistic and achievable goals for all task performance and completion.

·   Make participation, not competition.

    Identifying a kid with Co-ordination difficulty is crucial in the management of the condition. Proper identification at appropriate age would give better result and contribute to the overall development of the child. Identifying a child at school/Preschool level is highly recommended. Teachers working at school level should have training to identify such kids.

   If you suspect that your child might have coordination problems, it is wise to meet a Physiotherapist/ Physician/ Pediatrician. 

 

 

By

S.Mariappan

Sensory Integeration Therapist

Life Healthcare Rehabilitation Clinic Pl

moses.lhc@gmail.com 

Co-ordination

CO-ORDINATION

 

What is coordination?

Coordination usually refers to whether a child can get the arms and legs to work together in a coordinated, effective way.

 

Why coordination is important to children’s?

During playing games, taking part in sport or doing schoolwork, coordination skills are important for your child. In many tasks which require coordinated movement also require the child to have good motor planning to time their movements accurately.

 

Types of coordination and its importance

There are 2 types of gross motor coordination. They are bilateral coordination and eye -hand coordination.

 

Bilateral Coordination Skills

Bilateral Coordination is the ability to use both sides of the body together in a coordinated way. Children with poor bilateral integration may struggle with gross motor games or with fine motor tasks which require both hands to work together well. Examples include jumping, skipping, cutting with scissors, using a knife and fork, and tying shoelaces.

 

Eye Hand Coordination

This is the ability of the eyes to guide the hands in movement. For example, Catching a ball and being able to hit a ball with a bat ,  but many parents don’t realize that good hand-eye coordination can also help a child’s handwriting. Children need eye-hand coordination to guide their pencil between the lines and ensure their letters don’t go over the lines or touch each other.

By Mariappan Moses

    Life Healthcare Rehabilitation PL

    moses.lhc@gmail.com 

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a broad condition and a major reason for disability in Pediatric population.  In India 3 out of 1000 live birth is affected with cerebral palsy. Many of these cases were found in rural community, where rehabilitation is still need to reach.

The cause of Cerebral palsy is not known but lot of risk factors identified, some of them are;

1.      Prematurity

2.     Very low birth weight (lesser than 2.5kg)

3.     Virus infection

4.     Chemical or substance abuse during pregnance

5.     Trauma

6.     Complications of labor and delivery 

Cerebral palsy manifests with various symptoms, based on which it is divided into several types;

1.      Spastic

2.     Flaccid

3.     Ataxic

4.     Athetoid

Apart from the above these childrens may have some more additional problems

Like; Seizures, Vision, hearing, speech problems, Learning disabilities, behavior problems, Intellectual disability, Respiratory problems, Bowel and bladder problems, Bone abnormalities, scoliosis etc.

Identifying Child with Cerebral Palsy:

Cerebral palsy is usually identified by delay in milestone, that is, it takes longer duration to learn turning in lying, sit up from lying, stand from sitting position, balance in standing and make steps. All will get delayed. Sometimes the child might not achieve certain milestone, which dependent upon the extent of nerve damage.

Doctor will identify a Child with Cerebral palsy by age 6 months to 1 year. Parent may seek help if there is a delay in milestone. Brighter side is, almost half of the children’s with Milestone will grow out of this by age 2.

Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition; in current scientific development it is not possible to completely cure the condition. The management should focus on minimizing the deformity and improving the Childs ability to cope with the growing demands of the society. For an effective management it needs a Multidisciplinary team that includes Physiotherapist, Speech therapist, Occupational therapist, Orthotist, Opthalmologist, Neurologist, Pediatrition and Dentist.

 Information in this particular blog is meant to reach those communities and if I could get meaningful queries on cerebral palsy and its management by this blog, I will be more than happy.

Identifying Baby with Neurological Disorder

New Born Reflexes and why it is important

Reflexes are involuntary movements present in babies naturally. These reflexes happen during certain activity done by the baby. These reflexes can also be elicited by therapist in clinical setting in order to identify neurological function of the baby.

Most of these reflexes fade off as the child grows and it is normal. Therapists look for age appropriate reflexes in order to identify the extent of brain damage and also to arrive a clinical prognosis. Some examples of reflexes were

1.      Rooting reflex – the reflex starts when the corner of the baby’s mouth is touched, the baby will turn his or her head and open his or her mouth to follow the direction of the touch. This helps the child to involuntarily move towards the breast during feeding.

2.      Sucking reflex – the baby starts sucking when the upper palate (roof of the mouth) is touched. This reflex will be sluggish for premature babies and in delayed neuro development. This reflex will be present till 6^th month

3.      Grasp reflex - Stroking the palm of a baby's hand causes the baby to close his or her fingers. The grasp reflex lasts until about 5 to 6 months of age.

There are some more reflexes that therapist elicit in order to identify babies development. This information is only to help parents to seek thorough clinical assessment if there is any doubt. Mostly these tests will already be done by the Doctor who took care of the delivery. Usually baby with Neurological disorder will be identified during birth or just after birth.

Parents are advised to seek professional consultation as soon as any abnormality is found. In most cases simple therapy would solve the issue at an early stage.