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apraxia

n. loss or impairment of the ability to perform purposeful, skilled movements despite intact motor function and comprehension. The condition may be developmental or induced by neurological dysfunction and is believed to represent an impairment of the ability to plan, select, and sequence the motor execution of movements. There are several major types of apraxia, including buccofacial (or orofacial) apraxia, involving difficulty performing skilled facial movements; ideational apraxia, involving difficulty carrying out in the proper order a series of acts that comprise a complex task; ideomotor apraxia, involving difficulty imitating actions or gesturing to command; limb kinetic (or melokinetic) apraxia, involving difficulty making precise, coordinated but individual finger movements; and speech (or verbal) apraxia, involving difficulty coordinating the movements necessary for speaking. See also developmental apraxia of speech. —apraxic adj.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

shunning

shunning

n. systematic ostracism of an individual by a group, usually taking the form of minimal physical or social contact with the outcast. —shun vb.