Helping Improve Coordination for Children with DCD
Is your child living with a developmental coordination disorder (DCD)? Many children who are diagnosed with these disorders are described as “clumsy,” presenting a lack of coordination with their movements.
This lack of coordination can impact a child’s life in a variety of activities, including but not limited to educational tasks, social participation, and emotional IQ. However, these individuals typically have higher IQs than their peers.
In fact, as stated by the National Institutes of Health, a developmental coordination disorder “is defined on the basis of a failure of the acquisition of skills in both gross and fine movements, which is not explicable on the basis of impaired general learning and similar exposure to opportunity to gain motor skills as their peers.”
If your child has been living with this type of disorder, our Lake Charles, LA physical therapy services can help. Contact Partners in Physical Therapy today to learn more about how our dedicated team of therapists can help your child improve his or her coordination.
How can physical therapy benefit my child?
The National Institutes of Health also states that “there is extensive evidence that these difficulties can have considerable impact on children’s lives as they struggle to plan and organize themselves. They commonly affect the child both in school and at home, and contrast with similar aged children who acquire these skills with little effort.”
Because of this, the movement deficits found in children with developmental coordination disorders can make their lives more difficult. Fortunately, our advanced team of therapists can help your child gain strength, learn to function with more coordination, and target problem areas in the body.
Common treatments for children with developmental coordination disorders include, but are not limited to:
- Universal Exercise Unit/Cage Therapy
- Spider Cage Therapy
- Intensive Physical Therapy
- Physical therapy
- Therapeutic Exercise
Using multiple techniques as stated above can provide overall strengthening, as well as increased balance, coordination, and range of motion. Physical therapy gives the patient confidence in their acquired skills to live a more functional and fulfilling life.
How can I get started?
If your child is living with a developmental coordination disorder, there is no doubt that they could benefit from physical therapy.
