Sweetie-- He would like that... and heavy work is especially good for him.

I found this on the Dypraxia Foundation Website (http://www.dyspraxiausa.org/tips-for-teaching-the-child-with-dyspraxia-or-dcd/):

Tips for Teaching the Child with Dyspraxia or DCD


• Put the child near the front of the class. If this is not possible, walking around the room can also bring the information to the student effectively.

• Speak instructions slowly and repeat if necessary—the shorter, the better. It is often necessary that the student write the instructions down. In addition, it is helpful to break instructions and materials into manageable “chunks.”

• Acknowledge and praise tasks completed correctly. Positive reinforcement is extremely effective with dyspraxic children.

• Allow extra time for assignments. Processing speed is much slower for children with dyspraxia.

• When possible, if the student is required to copy from a board at the front of the room, allow the student to copy from a written handout instead.

• Organization is one of the biggest challenges for these children. If the student has all assignments and homework in one folder, it greatly reduces the risk of losing them.

• For younger students, assist with fine motor tasks. Cutting, coloring, and writing are very challenging and stressful. Encourage stabilization of the hand when writing.

• Lined and graph paper really help the student organize spatially.

• Allow “body breaks” throughout the day. Stepping outside of class to do push-ups against the wall, jumping, pressing the hands together, or even running a short errand enables the student to return to class more focused. Similarly, if the student feels a meltdown approaching, allow him or her to leave the room until the feeling passes. This can be prompted with a simple cue (e.g., raising hand).

• Encourage good posture whenever possible by having the child sit with hips and knees at 90° and feet flat on floor.

• One of the unique characteristics of dyspraxia is that a perfect day can be derailed with one slight mishap. For example, getting a blue crayon instead of a yellow one can cause a meltdown.

• Feedback helps us to manage dyspraxia better. If the child has had difficulty with certain tasks, playground interactions, poor judgment, or managing emotions, sharing that information with us is not received as a criticism but is actually very helpful!

• Don’t underestimate your importance to this child! You may be the reason this child comes to school happy every day. ☺