Dexter and Me is a beautifully illustrated child-friendly introduction to motor co-ordination difficulties. Sharing the story will help build understanding about motor co-ordination difficulties and provide support strategies for children and adults.
Dexter and Me tells the story of a child’s first sports day in school. Each game seems harder and harder as the child struggles to get any points for his team. Eventually he can’t hold back the tears “What’s happening dad? I couldn’t do any games, no matter how hard I tried, I kept getting it wrong”. That’s when his dad tells him about Dexter – his discriminator.
The story offers an explanation of how movement plans are compiled in the brain for complex sequences of movements using the analogy of a ‘discriminator’ living in the brain. A sequel to Max and Me: A story about sensory processing, Dexter and Me introduces ‘Dexter the discriminator’, Max’s assistant. Together they create movements plans from the information received from the senses to help the child with complicated movements like swimming or riding a bicycle and of course. . . sports day.