Could she have dyspraxia?

[Elisannah]

Sorry in advance for the long post- I need to offload!
DD is 6 and since she was a toddler there are things that I've observed that have made me think about dyspraxia. My husband thinks I'm overanalyzing because she is generally developing really typically and reads/writes well, very imaginative and excellent at drawing etc. Also no concerns have been raised by the school.

The big thing for me is that she really struggles to follow verbal (and sometimes visual) instructions. I've really noticed it at swimming lessons since the teachers haven't been in the water with them. Other kids (much younger than her as she is in the beginner class) more or less follow the instructions but DD looks so awkward and in completely the wrong position...even though she's trying really hard to follow.

This then just reminds me of the other times I've noticed things - e.g. how much longer it took her to use a pencil grip, catch/throw ball etc than her younger sister. She still struggles to hold cutlery, do up buttons, although can if we really encourage her and help her. Again though, benefits from hand over hand demonstration.

Other things that might be relevant-
She never crawled, only bum shuffled.
She scored 0 on the gross motor section of her 12 month review.
Struggles to control volume, often very loud.
Has lovely writing but very reluctant to write (perhaps takes a lot of effort?)
Avoids things she thinks she can't do, e.g. buttons, racing, catch, using scissors.

Worth saying though that she is left handed and I know learning skills can take longer when everything is set up for right handed people...so I've often put cutlery, buttons, pencil grip issues down to that.

I used to work with adults with dyspraxia and I think DH is worried I'm looking for something that's not there. My experience definitely led me to notice the difficulties with verbal and visual cues. I would just hate for something to get missed.

Would really appreciate advice from anyone with experience of dyspraxia as to whether I'm reasonable to raise this with the G.P. and, if so, how best to do so.

[Dorothyparker010]

It sounds like it’s worth exploring yes, my DD has DCD and some of what you say fits with how she is (my DD on the more severe end though - E.g. only just starting to form letters at 6, can’t hop, skip or ride a bike without stabilisers). I would just get a GP appointment and ask to be referred to a paediatrician. An OT will need to assess her motor skills, and any physical causes Of her difficulties ruled out To get the diagnosis. In my experience getting to actually see an OT is tough though! But they are amazing once you do. We ended up paying privately for an assessment.