What is praxis, and how do you actually see it in a child in front of you?

In this episode, Michelle brings a composite case of a vibrant, energetic 6-year-old whose postural gains have opened up a whole new set of clinical questions. He has big ideas and loads of enthusiasm, but his sequencing, motor execution, and monitoring are all lagging behind. Tracy uses this case to unpack the components of praxis from an Ayres sensory integrative perspective, linking ideation, planning, and execution back to their sensory discrimination foundations.

The episode's richest thread is a question Michelle brings from the clinic: she watched this little boy discover a ball and spend an entire session joyfully, chaotically exploring it. No mastery, no sequencing, no monitoring — but genuine delight and internal drive. Is this joyful developmental exploration, or is it time to start refining? Tracy's answer is nuanced and clinically useful, and it changes how you think about when to step in and when to trust the process.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Welcome and introduction to Episode 3
• 00:49 Why praxis is next — picking up from the postural system
• 02:05 Michelle introduces the composite case — a vibrant 6-year-old with emerging praxis challenges
• 04:57 Tracy defines praxis and introduces the ideation, planning, execution, monitoring framework
• 08:54 Linking the Ayres model to dynamic systems theory and motor learning
• 17:04 Michelle walks through clinical observations across each component of praxis
• 32:43 The ball and the ramp — Michelle describes watching him play freely for the first time
• 33:37 Joyful, exploratory, unmonitored play — what is this telling us developmentally?
• 34:36 Clinical questions — when do we step in, and when do we let it unfold?
• 36:56 Tracy: balancing playfulness with just enough scaffolding
• 40:32 Refining the sensory discrimination systems that underpin praxis
• 44:58 Integrating theory into treatment — being present in session, heady out of session
• 49:23 Encouraging playful engagement without imposing structure
• 53:30 Final takeaways from Michelle, Cory, and Tracy

Resources mentioned:

Sensory Integration and the Child — Ayres, A.J. & Robbins, J. (2005) Developmental Dyspraxia and Adult-Onset Apraxia — Ayres, A.J. (1985) The Clumsy Child — Gubbay, S.S. (1975) Sensory Integration Theory and Practice, 3rd edition — Bundy, A.C. & Lane, S. (2020) Teresa May-Benson — Things with String ideation assessment Spiral Foundation — courses and research on praxis: www.spiralfoundation.org

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