Trustee raising awareness of rare Dyspraxia disorder - The Redditch Standard

Trustee raising awareness of rare Dyspraxia disorder

Redditch Editorial 23rd Oct, 2014 Updated: 18th Oct, 2016   0

THE TRUSTEE of a national charity has been travelling far and wide to spread awareness of a condition which affects five per cent of the population.

Webheath resident Sally Payne, the former chair of Dyspraxia Foundation, took a trip to the Houses of Parliament earlier this month for a reception with MPs to reveal the findings of a survey during their 2014 Awareness Week.

Last Friday (October 16) she visited Tardebigge School to help local author Emma Austin-Jones launch her new book The Lilac Story which will help raise money for the foundation.

The survey showed 84 per cent of 13 to 19-year-olds felt left out of their friendship group due to their ‘differences’, 70 per cent had been victims of bullying and 95 per cent of parents and carers believed their teenager had experienced feelings of anxiety due to the condition, which is a form of developmental co-ordination disorder affecting motor co-ordination.




Those with dyspraxia have additional problems planning, organising and carrying out movements in the right order in every day situations and can also experience problems with their articulation, speech, perception and thought.

Ms Payne, who is also a paediatric occupational therapist, said: “What this survey has really reinforced to us as a charity is that it’s the emotional aspects that hit teenagers and young adults most hard – especially when trying to navigate the already tricky aspects of growing up.


“This can be a minefield for most teenagers but those who are already struggling with co-ordination, memory or organisation skills, the impact on self-esteem and confidence can be huge.”

For more information about the condition, e-mail [email protected] or call 01462 455016.

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Redditch Standard.

YouTube

Check out the latest videos on our YouTube channel.

Public Notices

View and download all of the public notices in the Redditch Standard.

Subscribe

Receive a weekly update to your inbox by signing up to our weekly newsletter.