apraxia is a term in the area of medicine, and consists of a neurological dysfunction characterized by the inability to perform coordinated movements, without muscle paralysis.
The term comes from the Greek word apraxia which means "impossibility to do".
People who suffer from apraxia cannot correctly perform certain movements, although they maintain limb mobility and despite no muscle or nerve paralysis. Cerebral cortex injuries are one of the main causes of the various manifestations of apraxia.
In many cases of apraxia people are unable to make previously learned movements, and in many cases they also have difficulty in use tools and other instruments, often making serious mistakes that can put their physical integrity and that of others at risk. people.
Despite not having lesions in the limbs that would allow them to make a certain movement, brain damage seems to have erased the memory of how this movement should be done. For example, a person may not be able to button a shirt, draw a picture, play a musical instrument, etc.
It is very important that people who suffer from apraxia are monitored and treated by professionals specialized in neuro-motor recovery. Treatment should be started as soon as possible after diagnosis, as this makes full recovery more likely.
Ideomotor apraxia
Ideomotor or ideational apraxia is the difficulty of making a simple gesture without the use of an object. In this case (which is often observed in cases of dementia), the patient can make the gesture automatically, but has problems in doing it at the request of another person. For example, he may not be able to make the sign of the cross, but when he enters a church, he does the gesture automatically.
verbal apraxia
Verbal apraxia is a condition that hinders some muscle movements that are essential for the production of phonemes, which impairs the speech and communication process.
oculomotor apraxia
Oculomotor apraxia is a disorder in voluntary eye movement, where the person in question is unable to move the eyes in a certain way. Individuals who suffer from oculomotor apraxia are often unable to fix their gaze and shift their eyes horizontally, having to move their heads as a means of assistance.