Hi S.,
Simply put, Dyspraxia is the learned ability to plan and carry out sequences of coordinated movements in order to achieve a goal.
"Dyspraxia" can have different implications depending on which "therapy" you are referring to... occupational therapy? Speech & Language therapy? Physical therapy? Dyspraxia is also called DCD (Dyspraxic Coordination Disorder)
My own child did not have this diagnosis but as an OT, I worked with many who did and yes, there can be significant improvement with therapy. So much depends on the degree (severe? moderate? mild?) of dyspraxia; the type of dyspraxia; the chronological age of the child; the developmental age of the child; the skill level of the therapist and the follow-through of the parents/teachers with activities at home/school.
Your child's therapist is the perfect person to ask.
There are different kinds of dyspraxia (example: oral dyspraxia? A speech and language pathologist [SLP] AND an OT might work together on this--the SLP might work on speech, language, and articulation, whereas the OT might work on eating/brushing teeth/dressing/riding a bike/handwriting/keyboarding, etc.). Both therapists might work on improving social skills, communication skills, organizational skills, and self esteem. Hopefully the therapists will coordinate and communicate with each other, but if they do not know each other, it is up to the parent to suggest they communicate.
Each child is unique, each child's developmental age and nervous system are unique, and each child's talents and learning differences are unique. Therefore, each child's therapy program will be tailored specifically for him/her, and what may be effective for one child may be inappropriate for another.
However, there may be some general activities, and when you check out these sites, ask your child's therapist which ones are appropriate for your child. It's important not to push the child to do activities at a higher level than he/she is capable, and there are many "tricks" that keep the activities fun and with your child's self esteem intact. The parents' / teachers' attitude and patience are very important. Many people with dyspraxia have very high IQ's, yet simple tasks can be befuddling.
This site is British and geared for therapists, but it might give you an idea of questions you might want to ask your child's therapist. (See "Useful Links" at the bottom):
http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/professionals/pr_oc...
Another British site, describing symptoms of children & adults with dyspraxia, with some book references:
http://www.nldline.com/newpage41.htm
And, another good (British) site with suggested readings:
http://www.devdis.com/dyspraxia.html
If your child's school district has an adapted P.E. teacher, consult with this person, as they are trained in how to teach children with special needs. Perhaps your child could be a candidate for this PE class.
It would be good to get your child involved in swimming lessons and comfortable/safe in the water. So many children who struggle with "land sports" can excel; be more coordinated in; or at least have fun in the water. Perhaps there's a qualified swimming instructor in your area who is accustomed to working with children with special needs. See:
http://www.at4learning.com/index.html ("Adapted Swimming" link) and check out the rest of the site so you can see how assistive technology can enhance learning. There are some OT's in the schools (like in Austin, TX) who specialize in the area of assistive technology via computers in order to optimize a child's learning.
Hippotherapy is another fun option. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippotherapy
and
http://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/
Bless you and good luck! jenifer
