Eric Fougere – Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images
Presenter Stéphane Plaza during a portrait session in Paris in 2017.
HEALTH – “ I can’t control my strength because I’m dyspraxic and clumsy. » The defense of Stéphane Plaza, tried Thursday January 9 for domestic violence against two former partners, was not enough to convince the Paris prosecutor’s office. He requested 18 months of suspended imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 euros against the famous real estate agent and TV host. But what is the dyspraxia he says he suffers from?
In court, the fifty-year-old completely denied all the violence of which the complainants accused him. Amandine’s crooked fingers, in spring 2022? “ I don’t control my strength because I’m dyspraxic and clumsy (…) and I don’t see that she’s in pain”. The defendant also denied having strangled her: “There is a force that should not have been, it is an unfortunate incident. »
According to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), the dyspraxia he mentions is a “ coordination disorder » neurological linked, at least in part, to “ a poor representation of their body in space “. We talk about TDC, for “ developmental coordination disorder », or TAC, « coordination acquisition disorder ».
« Living with big mittens every day »
According to Health Insurance, dyspraxia, which is one of the disorders « dys », is common and affects 5 to 7% of children aged 5-11 years. “ Boys are affected 2 to 4 times more often than girls, and it is considered that there is at least one child affected by dyspraxia per school class. », We can read on its site. And this dysfunction of the brain area which controls motor skills results in difficulties in the learnings.
A team from the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center studied these disorders in children. “ The mental construction of the different parts of the body, their position in space and the image we perceive of ourselves is difficult for these children. », adds Alice Gomez, researcher of the team Neuroscience of subjective experience and mental training (Eduwell) in Lyon. “ It’s a bit as if they had big mittens and they had to live with them on a daily basis. », she illustrates.
In addition to motor difficulties, dyspraxia is also responsible for visuospatial disorders. The patient has difficulty organizing his gaze, locating elements in relation to each other in space or orienting himself in relation to his body, lists Health Insurance.
Strategies for living with
Dyspraxia cannot be cured, but science has developed strategies to live better with it. “ We find compensations when possible, such as a computer keyboard for writing (…). We can break down the tasks, dissect each activity, in order to find where things are going wrong and work on them. The gesture will never become automatic but with hard work, it will become easier”explains Delphine Dechambre, occupational therapist, interviewed by the Women’s Journal.
This disorder therefore persists into adulthood. But if it was not diagnosed during childhood, it is more complicated to identify. You can first consult your general practitioner and then, depending on the tests requested, a psychomotor therapist, an occupational therapist, a neuropsychologist or a neurovisual orthoptist. Since 2005, the unrest « dys » are recognized as “ cognitive disabilities » from the moment they become too disabling in daily life.
The Qare teleconsultation platform lists possible symptoms in adults: difficulty managing emotions and time; difficulty planning daily life; a lack of balance and coordination during movements; difficulties learning new skills, particularly in the professional field or when learning to drive, for example; difficulty writing, drawing, typing…
« In some adults, dyspraxia can coexist with other psychological disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, depressive disorder, anxiety or autism spectrum disorders. », recalls Qare.
During the trial of Stéphane Plaza, the prosecutor recalled the facts of which the real estate agent is accused: “Mr. Plaza is accused of having hit, denigrated, publicly humiliated, twisted his fingers so hard that some were dislocated, and bitten. » The judgment will be rendered on February 18, the opportunity to know whether the dyspraxia argument will have had an impact on the decision of the criminal court.
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