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Apraxia

• Overview
• Treatment

Alternative Names:

Inability to make gestures and perform certain tasks; Movements - inability to perform certain tasks; Buccofacial apraxia; Orofacial apraxia; Ideational apraxia; Ideomotor apraxia; Limb-kinetic apraxia; Verbal apraxia

Home Care:

Safety measures should be taken to compensate for weakness, confusion, sensory deficiencies, or seizures that may accompany this problem. Participation in normal activities is encouraged.

You must have extreme patience with people who have apraxia. Take time to demonstrate tasks and allow enough time for the person to perform the task. Avoid complex directions.

Call your health care provider if:

Call your health care provider if there is unexplained and persistent lack of ability to do simple, routine acts.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

If you are having seizures, you will be stabilized first.

The doctor will perform a physical exam and ask you questions about your medical history and symptoms, including:

• Do you have dialysis for chronic kidney failure ?
• What other symptoms do you have? For example, do you have:
  • Confusion or disorientation
  • Memory loss
  • Weakness or paralysis of any body part
  • Numbness or tingling of any body part
  • Seizures

Tests that may be done include:

• Cranial CT scan
• MRI of the head
• Blood tests
• Lumbar puncture
• X-ray

Your doctor may refer to you a physical, speech, or occupational therapist. If the movement problem is a symptom of another medical condition, that condition should also be treated.

References:

Goetz, CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology . 2nd ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2003: 53-59.

Goldman L, Ausiello D. Cecil Textbook of Medicine . 22nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2004:2245-2246.

• Review Date: 3/5/2007
• Reviewed By: Daniel Kantor, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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