I would never wish this disorder on my worst enemy so to say that I am "happy" to hear this news is not exactly right...relieved is a better word! If you know anything about me and my family you know that my youngest son struggles with Severe Apraxia of Speech...and if you read my very first post, it explains as much as I can about it! Apraxia and Dyspraxia are the same thing, the term Dyspraxia was more widely used years ago and is most often refered to as Apraxia now!
This condition is not well known, and the only reason that I am happy to hear this is that it gives me new hope to getting the word out about it! Below is the news story on it that I copied and pasted from "The Daily Telegraph." I highlighted the word language in this story that will take you to Apraxia-Kids website for more info on that specific form of this disorder. The nuerologist that is quoted in this story is talking about therapy for the form of Apraxia/Dyspraxia that Daniel has...there are not only varying degrees of it but also like he says different forms of it, and different treatments for each, for my son the treatment is intensive, 1 on 1 speech therapy a minimum of a few times a week! Please take the time to read this story! :)
YOU would never know it from the way he plays Quidditch, but Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed he suffers from dyspraxia - often associated with clumsiness.
The condition means the 19-year-old still has trouble tying his shoelaces.
Daniel admitted he was a sufferer in an interview to mark his Broadway debut in the play Equus - and he jokingly added: "I sometimes think, Why, oh why, has Velcro not taken off?"
Daniel revealed he became an actor partly because his dyspraxia meant he was not successful at school.
The common neurological problem impairs the organisation of movement and often has no obvious cause.
It can affect any or all areas of development, including intellectual, physical and language, and can impair a person's normal process of learning.
Up to 10 per cent of people show signs of the condition, with about 2 per cent severely affected.
Males are four times more likely to be affected than women.
It is understood Daniel's dyspraxia is at the mild end of the spectrum, but in severe cases it can make it difficult to walk up and down stairs or run, hop, jump or kick a ball.
In adults, it can affect a person's ability to perform in stressful or challenging situations and make tasks such as driving difficult.
Daniel told how he longed to be an actor from the age of five. But he revealed: "My mother said, Oh no you don't." When she finally allowed him to audition to play David Copperfield, in a BBC version of the Dickens classic when he was nine, he says it was because she could see he needed a confidence boost. "I was having a hard time at school in terms of being c**p at everything, with no discernible talent," he says.
David Copperfield was his first hit and since his initial appearance as Harry Potter, in 2000, he has earned a personal fortune estimated at $40million.
Daniel has not disclosed when he was diagnosed with dyspraxia or whether doctors ever found the cause.
In the final movie in the Potter series, Deathly Hallows, the first part of which is due for release in 2010, he reportedly performed a particularly daring stunt scene when his double failed to turn up. He was pulled from a burning building by a wire attached to a 30m crane.
A leading authority on dyspraxia, neurologist Dr David Younger of the New York University Medical School, said: "I'm a big fan of the whole Harry Potter series and I am surprised Daniel Radcliffe suffers from dyspraxia. "He clearly suffers from a mild form, but the fact he shows no sign of it at all is a great tribute to his acting skills and makes him a role model for other people with this condition." Dr Younger said: "In the majority of children and young people with dyspraxia, we cannot find the cause so the basic treatment is occupational therapy - teaching them to make a plan for their actions and rehearse their movements."
Daniel's spokeswoman said: "Yes, Dan Radcliffe does have dyspraxia. This is something he has never hidden. Thankfully his condition is very mild and at worst manifests itself in an inability to ties his shoe laces and bad handwriting."
2 comments:
I just learned something new. I have never heard of this before and Daniel Radcliff is one of my son's favorite actors. Hope all is well with your son.
Thank you very much! I am glad to hear that you learned something from it also! It just goes to show that anyone can do anything they set their mind to! :)
Take care, and thanks for stopping by!
~Jenn;0)
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