sorry to crash here again - does dyspraxia need a diagnosis?

[MerlinsBeard]

I am sorry to keep crashing this section

I have posted many times now about DS2 and have taken him back and to to the GP over and over but apparently his behaviours are just normal 3 year old - extreme but normal. I came across 'symptoms' of Dyspraxia and cried with relief because its simply DS2 (although some things aren't addressed there that we have concerns about) however, HV doesn't think so.

Does Dyspraxia need a proper diagnosis? currently his only official "thing" is that he is under SALT (will have next contact with them in october) for speech problems

Or, would i be better talking to his nursery, which he starts in a few weeks, and using THEM to take it further if needs be? they are very very good with SEN and SN

[MerlinsBeard]

btw, i was also bluedragonfly for a bit

[expatinscotland]

yes, it is generally diagnosed by a paediatrician and/or educational psychologist.

dd1 has a diagnosis of dyspraxia - it's also called developmental coordination disorder.

it's a spectral disorder, but she is rather severely affected.

[MetalMummy]

DS2 was diagnosed with dyspraxia by a peadiatrician. We took him to the GP a couple of times (when he was 3) and he said the reason he kept falling over was because he was knock kneed. It wasn't until SALT sent a letter to the GP just after DSs 4th birthday asking for a referral to a peadiatrician because she thought he had other problems besides his speech that we got the referral and then diagnosis. Since then he has been put on school action plus, referred to OT who then also referred him to physio. It is well worth pushing for the referral.

[MerlinsBeard]

so who do i push with?

I think our Doctors are waiting to diagnose me with Munchuasens or something like that. HVs just don't think there is a problem, SALT can't see him again until October at earliest.

I am beginning to feel like the mum who just wants a label for her child i just want to help him and i know this isn't "normal"

[expatinscotland]

what other things are going on besides his speech?

dyspraxia is a disorder which can cross over with ASD.

in my daughter, she doesn't display any ASD traits, but her gross and fine motor skills show marked delays concurrent with dyspraxia, but many on here have children who have both disorders or who have ASD and not dyspraxia.

[MerlinsBeard]

he falls over fresh air
He is never ever still-even in his sleep
he takes an age to dress/undress even with help
he cries a lot for the smallest thing
he has absolutely no sense of danger at all. he jumped from a 3 foot wall the other day without even looking!
he has the concentration of a goldfish

i know that they could be dismissed as "normal" but looking on the dyspraxia foundation website, he was also slow to sit on his own - he was 9 months. He crawled for about 3 days in total, was DEF irritable from birtyh and we struggled feeding him. IN the end we put that down to milk intolerance (but again the Drs disagreed despite soya easing his bloatedness and pain)

[TotalChaos]

wait a few weeks and talk to his nursery - IME if you say to GP "nursery have concerns" then they tend to take you that bit more seriously.

[MerlinsBeard]

he also has to do things in a particular way eg in a morning he has to have breakfast then go back upstairs and dress and then do teeth and a wash. he can't do it any other way, if he does his teeth before he dresses he gets confused.

He doesn't like loud noises although is ok with them if given enough notice. I have to pull out the vacuum and leave it there for a bit then give warning blasts before i vac

He doesn't walk anywhere- we call him our little pony, he trots ALL THE TIME

[expatinscotland]

he sounds like he might cross over into ASD as well.

dd1 an angel baby. never irritable.

but she never sat up on her own until she was 9 months old.

she didn't walk until she was 2.

she is 5 and still not 'getting' potty-training - the message just isn't getting to her brain in time.

she cannot sequence to save her life, lots of trouble with things like first, next, after, then, in the middle, last. and concepts like all or except.

VERY poor fine motor skills.

poor muscle tone/weakness. tires easily.

i used to think she was hand-flapping, but paed says she's actually muscle-spasming.

she has a lot of sense of danger and is a bit apprehensive.

how about paying privately for a paed or educational psychologist to assess?

DD1's been seen to since her 8 months check.

BUT, her father, his brother and their dad are also diagnosed dyspraxics.

[MerlinsBeard]

I can't afford to pay for private anything (will barely be able to afford to heat this house in winter!)

I will have an in depth chat with his nursery teachers on Wed at his meeting. I will tell them my concerns. They have been brilliant already and one of them has even spent some of the summer learning makaton as he sometimes reverts to that if he is stressed/can't say the word.(he never got the hang of it really but he seems to make an attempt at the signs) They are also implementing a picture timetable for him so he knows that after snack time its play time and then circle time or whatever.

god i am in tears here, feel so jumbled, like i am pushing for something that may not be there but at the same time i want him to have a diagnosis soi can help him and stop shouting at him so much. I just want to understand him thats all

[MerlinsBeard]

sorry, i got a bit emotional then

[expatinscotland]

sometimes, however, there is no diagnosis or it takes years and years.

can you phone the SALT for a chat even if the appointments aren't for a bit?

[debward3]

hi my son was only diagnosied after i fought to have him statmented at school [when he was 7]even though he had been seeing a speech theripist since he was 2 so go push your school and keep pushing threaten to go private they dont like that cos it looks like there not doing there job so go shout deb