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Is it worth getting my DD assessed for dyspraxia?

14 replies

R0nJ0n · 06/10/2015 10:23

My DD is 7 and in yr3. I've suspected since she was a toddler that she's mildly dyspraxic. Both her fine and gross motor skills have always been behind those of her peers, never to the extent that it's been flagged up as a serious issue, but teachers and nursery staff have passed comment occasionally.

Her fine motor skills have improved a lot in the past couple of years, her hand writing is okay, she'll never win any awards for neatness but it's legible and she can now draw as well as needs to be able to for school. However she still can't ride a bike, can barely throw and catch a ball, can't tie shoelaces, runs like Phobe from Friends and struggles to use a knife and fork together. When the loom band craze hit she got very frustrated because she couldn't make even a simple bracelet despite me going through it with her over and over again.

She obviously (to me) has a problem, but other than the occasional bit of frustration over things like loom bands it really doesn't bother her or impact on her life much. She's academically bright, musically quite gifted and despite not being sporty in any way she loves things like swimming, soft play and nature rambles so she's not unfit.

My gut feeling is that she's perfectly happy as she is and I should just leave her alone, rather than try to get her assessed and draw attention to the things she struggles with. However I do sometimes wonder if I'm being a bit head in the sand and if I don't do something now she might resent me later on for ignoring her motor skills problem.

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kesstrel · 06/10/2015 16:45

My daughter is dyspraxic, and given what you describe I suspect your daughter is too. Mine was also quite oblivious to her limitations at age 7; however, that is also the age at which children start noticing and caring about the differences between their own abilities and those of others. Once that started happening, being able to explain to her that she was dyspraxic - and that the condition is not uncommon - rather than clumsy or stupid was of real benefit.

I was also really shocked when I found out that the effects can be more than just physical, however, and was kicking myself for not having done the research sooner. It has had a significant effect on her organisational ability as well as on her ability to organise and write text coherently. This only began to be a problem at secondary school. These things both improved with tuition and practice, as well as increasing age (dyspraxia often works as a developmental delay). A diagnosis allowed her to have extra time in exams, and this was beneficial.

Waiting times for a diagnosis can be very long - up to 2 years - so you might want to take that into account as well.

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TeenAndTween · 06/10/2015 17:06

Partly place marking to remind myself to do more detailed answer when I have time.

DD1 has dyspraxia. Motor skills bottom 1% but also slow processing, poor organisational skills and other things. Only assessed in Year 11. School would have been so much easier if we had properly understood earlier.

DD2 y6 has Developmental Coordination Disorder - motor skills bottom 1%. Not showing other signs DD1 was showing at same age (but still have some concerns). She is getting help for motor skills at primary.

(Both saw an OT. DD1 I went to Dr and asked for referral, DD2 had been on radar before so school referred her)

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Washediris · 06/10/2015 18:07

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KatharineClifton · 06/10/2015 18:13

I just got an official diagnosis for my DC a couple of weeks ago aged 13. I'd been told by reception teacher she strongly suspected dyspraxia, but I didn't see any need for a diagnosis. I ended up taking my DC out of school aged 9 anyway, but I think it would of helped possibly before that if I had of had one.

My DS may not have been plagued by his Y3 teacher to keep re-writing the same stuff over and over until it improved - because it never was going to!

The OT also diagnosed hypermobility which surprised me. Reading up on it now it all makes sense.

There was absolutely no help offered by the OT though. And as home-ed no use at all until it comes to exam times. We've always found ways round most things - except cycling and using a knife. But, my DC both like having the diagnosis to help explain why they are as they are really.

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KatharineClifton · 06/10/2015 18:14

The route here is GP refers to Paediatrician then they refer to OT. It probably differs from area to area though.

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WildStallions · 06/10/2015 18:20

My DS really liked knowing he has dyspraxia. He was very relieved to have a label.

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Washediris · 06/10/2015 19:38

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R0nJ0n · 06/10/2015 19:46

Thanks for the replies, I can see that I should push for an assessment. Is it best to go through the GP or the school SENCO? I don't mind waiting a bit for an assessment as its not really causing an issue at the moment.

Fortunately for DD she goes to a regular state primary which by design takes in a lot of children with disabilities and SEN, so the school do a lot of work on understanding differences. Hopefully this means that she won't be bullied for dropping balls and so on.

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bodenbiscuit · 06/10/2015 19:52

My dd3 was diagnosed a few months ago - she's 6 and has a lot of fine and gross motor difficulties. At the start of year 1 she could barely write her name. I took her to see a private OT because I didn't want to wait ages. And now she's in the system she's under a paediatrician who accepts the diagnosis and feels that she may possibly also have ADHD. Her school have been excellent and very supportive.

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bodenbiscuit · 06/10/2015 19:54

My daughter is a very outgoing, confident child but the dyspraxia is really affecting her confidence and she is very aware that everyone else can get changed for PE and she can't.

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Washediris · 06/10/2015 19:56

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TeenAndTween · 07/10/2015 09:50

If you see an OT, and they say she is behind with motor skills, they will give exercises etc. for you to do at home and to be done at school. They will also recommend techniques to assist. The term for behind in motor skills is Developmental Coordination Disorder .

I would suggest ask the school to refer, and if they won't then see your GP.

Dyspraxia as such often has other things associated with it that aren't to do with motor skills. Such as sensitivity to taste (over fussy on foods), texture (fussy about feel of clothes, buttons, lace etc), not being so sensitive to cold. Also processing and organisational skills can come in to play.

When we saw the OT I had to do a long questionnaire about stuff such as do they particularly like/loathe swinging, loud sounds, roundabouts, all sorts of things.

Between my girls, one with Dyspraxia and one with 'just' DCD there is a massive difference in how their every day lives are affected.

Also practice the important things, and let the unimportant go. My friend's DS is quite good at sport through sheer practice, where as with DD1 we were never that bothered. However her handwriting was assessed as much better than a lot of her other skills, because we had put the work in.

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KatharineClifton · 07/10/2015 11:35

wrt 'putting in the work' - one wouldn't say this to a visually impaired person - if they put the work in they can see. Dyspraxia is a disability so some things are very difficult/impossible really. But practising flexibility is key, my mantra seems to have become 'there's always another way'.

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TeenAndTween · 07/10/2015 12:13

Yes, maybe I didn't word it well. But you can get some level of improvement by doing exercises and repeat, repeat, repeat, with baby steps along the way. Ultimately some things will never be resolved, but some can be improved it just takes longer than for an average kid.

So with my DD's we (us or the girls) don't care about ball skills so they only occasionally get practiced. But with DD1, we did a lot of practice on basics like how to hold a ruler to draw a straight line, teaching methods for cutting out etc. Things we worked on and definitely comparatively 'better' for her than things we didn't iyswim?

DD1 couldn't ride a bike until she was 8.5 but she got there in the end. She's not great, but safe enough (just about). If she had to ride a bike to get to school, she could.

otoh my friend's son's handwriting is still pretty much illegible, not through want of trying, but because that's where his dyspraxia hits him most. He uses a laptop for everything, even maths.

Also, we do a lot of 'work arounds' too.
So Velcro shoes even in secondary, some things loose enough that buttons don't need to be undone, me helping on the craft side of history homeworks, using IT for 'posters', that kind of thing.

DD1 has just started yoga which may help with her core stability. She is the least balanced in the class, but accepts that and is just working to improve. DD2 has done loads of swimming which has helped her core strengths.

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