Dyspraxia Symptoms Checklist
Dyspraxics and Dysgraphics
Those with Sensory Based Motor Disorders have difficulty navigating this world. Their bodies simply don't do what their brains tell them to do. SBMD has been broken down into two different categories. The first is Dyspraxia, taken from the Greek word 'praxis' (to do) and the Latin prefix 'dys' (badly), and involves poor motor coordination, timing, planning, organizing and sequencing. Also on this checklist is Dysgraphia. Though Dysgraphia is not technically a category of SBMD, it is commonly agreed that sensory based motor operation has a lot to do with a person's ability to write.
Instructions: please mark (from 0 to 5) the frequency at which you experience each symptom, with 0 being 'never', and 5 being 'always'. If you find an issue that you used to experience, but might no longer experience, please write 'R', indicating that the issue may have already been resolved. For more information about SPD Life Checklists, please visit our How to Use page.
Dyspraxia
Tactile based motor issues
_______ Difficulty handling scissors, eating utensils, and other handheld devices
_______ Difficulty performing various fine motor activities, such as zipping and buttoning clothing without looking
_______ Difficulty with dressing and handwriting
Vision based motor issues
_______ Have a hard time navigating through crowded hallways or noticing obstacles before collision
_______ Unable to visualize and follow through with a multi-step physical task
_______ Poor hand-eye and foot-eye coordination
_______ Frequently miss when reaching for an object
_______ Difficulty navigating up or down stairs or across uneven surfaces
_______ Unable to learn complex movement plans, such as dance steps, by sight alone
Vestibular based motor issues
_______ Difficulty learning, organizing, and performing unfamiliar movement sequences
_______ Unable to use what you've previously learned to help with new tasks
Proprioception based motor issues
_______ Poor motor control and body awareness
_______ Experience anxiety around moving through space or moving up or down stairs
_______ May often over or under extend muscles to perform a task, causing you to break things or drop them
_______ Difficulty adjusting and navigating body parts to dress yourself efficiently
Dysgraphia
Vision based dysgraphic issues
_______ Difficulty following along visually with what you are writing
_______ Difficulty with letter spacing and staying within the lines
_______ Poor letter formation
_______ Often confused by 'letter inversions', such as 'b, d, q, g, and p' or 'w, u, v, c, n, and m'
Proprioceptive or Motor based dysgraphic issues
_______ Poor awareness of finger position or movement, otherwise known as 'finger agnosia'
_______ Have 'clumsy' handwriting and finger movements while writing
_______ Have unusual or dysfunctional hand grip on pencil while writing
_______ May have low muscle tone or other motor issues
_______ May have difficulty with fine motor tasks that involve the use of hand held utensils or using zippers or buttons
_______ May prefer printing over cursive