Developmental dyspraxia: A psychiatrist's point of view

Developmental coordination disorders, which consist of developmental dyspraxia, are a frequent reason for consultations in child psychiatry, given their impact on learning. These motor impairments, associated with visuo-spatial difficulties, can also penalize the child in his imitative exchanges and have an impact on social integration. The diversity of the forms of dyspraxia and the polymorphism in clinical presentations require the implementation of a working, multidisciplinary collaboration. Indeed, assessment and understanding of such disorders are part of an approach that is both developmental and integrative, which must take into account the cognitive, linguistic and emotional dimensions inherent to the overall functioning of a child in interaction with their wider environment. This clinical approach must be at the barycenter in a position between psycho-affective (underpinned by a psychodynamic point of view) and a second, more recently nourished knowledge, provided by neurosciences and genetics. Results from this approach will be tailored therapeutic proposals that are adjusted to the singularity of clinical situations that have been encountered