How to Diagnose Dyspraxia
Any trauma to the left hemisphere of the brain, be it a stroke or an injury, can cause loss of speech in some form. Symptoms can overlap and make it difficult to diagnose the problem. Dyspraxia--literally the inability of the brain to direct the muscles in set patterns--affects speech in very specific ways. Looking out for these warning signs can make it easier to diagnose dyspraxia.
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Instructions
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Look for Symptoms of Dyspraxia
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Get a notebook for the purpose of writing down the symptoms you observe in the person who has suffered a stroke or other trauma.
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Check for physical dysfunction in the oral muscles. Ask the person to make a "kissy face," wiggle the tongue from side to side, touch the chin or nose with the tongue, or bite the lower lip.
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Ask the person to imitate you as you make a face, puff out your cheeks, lick your lips or click your teeth together.
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Note if the person had to take a few "practice tries" before imitating your movement, whether the movements appeared jerky or odd, or if he continued to repeat the movement after you had stopped (persevered movement).
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Conduct normal conversations with the person, looking for repeated "trial and error" pronunciation, unintelligible or incorrect sounds and usage of numbers and multi-syllabic words.
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Print out a copy of the "Grandfather Passage" from Adult New York English. This is a standard diagnostic tool that contains almost every sound in the English language (see Resources below).
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Ask the person to read it aloud. Note the places where she repeats sounds, makes inappropriate sounds or has problems with pronunciation. Listen for off-kilter prosody, that is sound, volume, tempo and rhythm.
Diagnose Dyspraxia
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Discuss your notes with the person's doctor, speech pathologist, or other professional caregiver. Ask if they also have noticed these symptoms.
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Ask that standard tests be done to diagnose dyspraxia. This includes observation of natural conversations, as well as such standardized tools as the "Token Test," which reveals how much spoken language the person understands.
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Look at the test results and ask questions as the doctor or clinician explains them to you.
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Follow directions for home exercises and therapy that will speed the person's recovery.
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Tips & Warnings
In stroke or trauma patients, dyspraxia may occur in tandem with expressive aphasia, which is the inability to express normal, coherent thoughts. The two are similar but not quite the same, and may be symptomatic of entirely different kinds of brain damage.
Be patient. Dyspraxia is not simple in its origin, nor easy to improve. Do what your professional expert advises faithfully and make sure the person get regular one-on-one therapy.
