For instance, Apraxia is thought to be the result of impact to the part of the brain that plans the movements required to produce speech. You may know what you want to say, but your brain has difficulty in coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words. There may be inconsistent speech errors, difficulty in imitating speech and more errors when there are longer sentences or more complex words.
Dyspraxia affects motor skill development. It's not due to muscle weakness but rather a brain-based issue in planning and coordinating movements. So you may struggle with tasks like tying shoes, buttoning shirts, or any activities that require a sequence of movements. Or you might appear clumsy or awkward in your movements when you engage in such tasks.
Again we don’t know if apraxia and dyspraxia by themselves explain all the communication issues seen in almost a third of the autistic population. we don't fully understand how it connects to autism biologically. In other words, we don't know what parts of the brain, neurotransmitters, synaptic connections, and signaling pathways are impacted in those with autism with apraxia and without apraxia. We don't know whether the neurological issues that contribute to someone having autism also predispose them heavily towards having apraxia. Given that 87% of people with autism reportedly have some kind of motor issues, it is highly plausible that they are closely interconnected.
I think its more useful to use broader terms of what is happening with autistics like "movement differences" or "motor difficulties" till we can say on the basis of real science that the primary neurological condition impacting our movement issues is apraxia or dyspraxia.
Importantly, we do know that communication is a huge challenge and there is an urgent need to not only figure out what is going on but also an equally urgent need for translatable solutions.
Importantly, we do know that communication is a huge challenge and there is an urgent need to not only figure out what is going on but also an equally urgent need for translatable solutions.
No comments:
Post a Comment