Dyspraxia is a condition in which patients have a difficult time planning the movement necessary to achieve a new goal. Often, these patients have a difficult time performing mundane tasks, such as speaking, walking, or even sitting in a chair. As dyspraxia is often difficult to diagnose, it is often left untreated until adulthood. Once dyspraxia in adults is finally identified, there are specific forms of treatment that have been found to be highly effective. Some of these forms of treatment for dyspraxia in adults include occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and perceptual motor training, which is a kind of combination of both occupational and speech therapy.
One of the most common forms of treatment for dyspraxia in adults is occupational therapy. Typically, it is most effective when prescribed for adults who are suffering from the more physical forms of dyspraxia. Often, an occupational therapist will travel with the patient through their daily activities in an attempt to observe in which areas that the patient struggles the most. Once these areas are identified, the occupational therapist can then prescribe activities that can aid the patient in improving their symptoms of dyspraxia. While occupational therapy is often quite successful, it can also be significantly time consuming. Often, adults with dyspraxia are required to work with an occupational therapist for several hours each week, extending over months or even years.
Another common form of treatment for dyspraxia in adults is speech and language therapy. While many patients who are diagnosed with dyspraxia suffer significantly with physical limitations, others may have just as hard of a time with speech. Often, the patient has a difficult time moving his or her mouth, and therefore cannot properly pronounce certain words. In this case, a speech and language therapist will listen to the adult speak, and formulate a plan to help him or her reach their full potential. As with occupational therapy, patients with dyspraxia who are undergoing speech therapy may require months or even years of therapy in order to achieve the greatest success.
Perceptual motor training is also commonly used as a treatment form for dyspraxia in adults. Unlike the other forms of treatment described above, which each focus on a specific area, perceptual motor training requires patients to perform tasks that focus on developing language, movement, and other types of skills. Typically, these tasks start out very slowly, and gradually increase in intensity once the patient has mastered the basic requirements.