D.A.M.P? Does anyone know what this is??

[Pollyanna]

I saw a paediatrician last week with my ds who is 6yo. He said that he has or is DAMP, and while he did explain about this at the time, I can't remember what it is now! (I know that the "A" stands for Attention problems). Does anyone know what this stands for or where I can read more about it? Thanks.

[mummytosteven]

No experience, but just been googling, and you might find these links useful:

www.rcpsych.ac.uk/press/preleases/pr/pr_238.htm fms.antics.co.uk/dyscovery/mb/145.html www.mk-adhd.org.uk/Information%20sections/CoMorbitities/20050116_DAMP.htm

[JaysMum]

Isnt it a similar thing to ADHD?????

[Pollyanna]

thanks mummytosteven - I'll try those links.

I think the "A" part of DAMP is adhd (or something similar). i don't know that the other letters stand for.

[JaysMum]

My friends son has a dx of DAMP....this is what she has told me....so I will pass it on.
DAMP = Deficits in Attention, Motor Control and Perception.

The reason you will not find much information about DAMP is because the literature and information is most exclusively written in Danish or Swedish as DAMP has been a diagnosis only used in Nordic countries until recently.

SAMP and ADHD are almost the same thing, the difference is DAMP requires that a person has a Motor Control and Perception difficulty, (Dyspraxia - also called Motor perceptual Problem or DCD - Develpomental Co-ordination Delay), so it is a narrower definition of ADHD.

When problems are severe and all the diagnostic features are present the critria for Hyperkinetic Disorder may be met. They are restlesness, fidgety and over active, continual chatter,interupts people when they are talking, easily distracted and dont finish things,inattentive and can not concentrate on tasks, impulsive, difficulty waiting turns, etc etc...

Basically ADD, DAMP and Hyperkinetic Disorder are all subtypes of ADHD.

Because of the massive incline in people gaining dx of ADHD and the publicity about it in the media, Peads are now dxing DAMP to try and offset the number of children with an ADHD dx.

Hope this helps.

[myalias]

My ds has this it stands for Defecits in Attention and Motor Perception. He has Add and has had difficulties with his fine motor skills. With the help from an occupational therapist he has almost overcome his fine motor problems - he is nearly 9. He is now on medication which he has been taking for nearly a year, his behaviour and concentration have improved immensely.

[Pollyanna]

thanks jaysmum - that is really helpful. Now I just need to decide what to do next...

[Pollyanna]

myalias - does the occupational therapist help your ds with his writing? This is currently the biggest problem for my son - his writing (and drawing) is appalling. Do you get this through the school? (sorry for being nosy).

[myalias]

Hi Pollyanna have only just seen your message I've been offline the last couple of days. My ds has a statement of special needs he was in year 1 when he started to receive 12.5 hours of 1:1 help a week. After an assessment with the school paediatrician it was decided that the school occupational therapist would set up a programme for him within school. Ds has had follow up appointments approximately twice a year - once at the beginning of the school term and again before his annual statement review. Since my ds has been in Junior school his pencil control has improved considerably, especially his joined up writing. The Occupational Therapist was so impressed with ds that she has now decided to check on him in 18 months time. She would also update me with his progress at home and send a detailed report - this would include ideas for ds to try at home.
I'm also convinced my ds has become much stronger as a result of the programme she has set up for him. What do the school say about your ds? is he on an IEP? I'm happy to help you in anyway possible. HTH.

[Pollyanna]

myalias, my son doesn't get any help at all at the moment. We saw the headmistress last week and she said that she didn't think she could get any 1:1 help at all for him. She also said that there was no point applying for a statement for him as we wouldn't get it. I left that meeting feeling very depressed. His class teacher says he definitely needs help with his writing or he is going to fall behind. He has also been diagnosed with dyspraxia - again he is getting nothing through the school.

[Jaysmum]

Oh Pollyanna please dont get fobbed of. Apply yourself to your LEA for a statuatory assessment of your sons needs. If the class teacher thinks he is falling behind then he obviously needs some extra support in school.

I spent far to long listening to those whom I thought knew better and in the process watched my son fall further behind his peers. Had I been as knowledgable then, as I am now, I would not have hesitated and would have applied for J's assessment a lot sooner, maybe then he would have had the help and support in his early years at school and not be struggling so much now.

Surely if your son has a dx of dyspraxia then the school should be doing all they possibly can to overcome your sons difficulties.....but this is the real world. I am affraid it is up to you and if you dont fight for him then no one else will.

[myalias]

I agree with Jaysmum don't get fobbed off. It took us 2 years to get a statement for ds and we put up a fight to get it. He was turned down once and on close inspection of the statement we realised ds was being assessed on the early years programme and not on key stage 1! The panel admitted that they had made a mistake and agreed he needed immediate help.
You need to have a meeting with the headmistress again and ask for your son to have an individual education plan (IEP) set up. This should be in place already if your ds has a diagnosis. The IEP is in 4 stages - stage 1 being minor difficulties to stage 4 being the final stage to being statemented. This should have been in place in reception if your ds was having difficulties and should have been discussed at ds parent consultation. The IEP is for you to see where your ds is having difficluties and then targets are set for the next parent consultation. It really helped me to see where ds was failing and it is a partnership between parents and school to help assist their child to overcome their difficulties. I would also make an appointment to see your school special educational needs coordinator - (SENCO). The SENCO will advise you on the statementing process and what you need to do to get this.
I also didn't wait around for the school to sort everything out for me I went to outside agenciies CAMH services (Child and Mental Health), private specialists and making appointments with my GP to refer me to Nhs specialists. Armed with all the facts I had reports from everyone concerned that the school had to do something about it. I was on LEA backs constantly, every week I would ring up to find out how things were progressing. My SENCO would call me in for meetings and let me know how things were progressing and I would tell her I knew that already because I had rang them the week before. She said that she had every confidence in ds getting the statement as the pushy parents get results. In the end I used to go in and tell her things before she had found out about it. The fight was worth it in the end because I know an incredible amount of parents who have left it until the lasts few years of primary to get help. Unfortunately by then it's too late the schools only seem interested in getting help for children up to key stage 1.

[Cosmo74]

Sorry for jumping in here but could I ask a question to myalias - how long did it take from getting your son on an IEP to getting assessed - my DS started Primary 1 last September in October he started an IEP he is now on stage 3 and we only filled in a form to get him assessed about 2 weeks ago - his head keeps saying that she does not want to rush things but I want him assessed before it starts to affect his learning - his teacher (who is brilliant) has said that he is very advance in his skills now but would not like to think his behaviour to hold him back. We have also went to Gp for referral but she says it will take a year!!

[myalias]

Hi Cosmo74 it took roughly 18 months from when my ds started reception to midway through year 1 for ds to be assessed. He had a school child psychiatrist assess him first and then the school paediatrician made the final assessment. The final statementing process took about a year on.

[LIZS]

Can I ask what the difference between DAMP and dyspraxia might be ?