Through movement, a baby discovers the world around him. Through movement, the child learns and tests himself in various activities that take place through the process of growing up. As a child gains an increasing sense of control over movement, control and directs their behavior, movements become more and more automated. At first, the complex movements soon seem simpler to the toddler. First, large motor movements are developed, which continue until the development of fine motor movements. Children reach developmental milestones at different speeds but in the same order. If a child experiences delays in conquering milestones, more attention should be paid to it. Some children have difficulty moving, which can affect their daily activities. One of the reasons for this may be a neurodevelopmental disorder called developmental coordination disorder (hereinafter DCD) or dyspraxia. It is a specific learning disorder that causes problems with the movement, organization, coordination, and processing of sensory information. People with DCD have the most problems in the field of motor skills, both fine and coarse. Among children today, DCD is detected and diagnosed more and more often, mostly during the school period. Although DCD has not yet been fully researched and the reasons for its occurrence have not yet been explained, we professionals must be able to deal with the problems that arise due to DCD and pay attention to the problem of the disorder. By recognizing the early signs of DCD in preschool, we can prevent or at least minimalize the primary problems and thus the problems that arise from them.
Children who attend kindergarten spend there a lot of time. For these children, kindergarten is the main socializing element in their personal development, which affects their mental health and quality of life (Stipanovič, 2020). Therefore, educators and their assistants must pay attention to any deviations in reaching developmental milestones, which could be indicators of early signs of DCD. It is important to offer children with early signs of DCD early treatment as soon as possible, as a movement in children can be most influenced in preschool children. The pre-school period is extremely sensitive to children's development. Early recognition, appropriate treatment and inclusive orientation of the kindergarten the child attends (Zadravec, 2020) are crucial for optimal child development, as we want to draw attention to the importance of recognizing early signs of DCD in preschool children.
The main topic of the master's thesis is the recognition of early signs of DCD in preschool children in kindergarten by kindergarten teachers and their assistants. We present theoretical starting points, which include the findings of foreign and domestic authors dealing with the field of DCD. We emphasize the importance of recognizing early signs of DCD in preschool children, as it is usually recognized only upon entering school, which may be late for some children.
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