Dyspraxia in child - experiences please

[Dreamerinme]

The Educational Psychologist used by the school has assessed DS(9) and although we are waiting for her report, she said her initial thoughts are that he has mild Dyspraxia. She said she cannot diagnose him but once she’s collated and read through all her findings, she thinks this is probably the cause of DS’ difficulties.

I am interested in other people’s experiences of Dyspraxia please, getting a diagnosis, what support your school offered (particularly at secondary as DS is just finishing y4). The EP said the waiting list for Dyspraxia assessments can be long through them (she’s from the LA), but if we go private then we would want an assessment that is recognised by schools and the NHS (I’ve heard that some private ADHD ones aren’t).

I’m also curious that the EP use the term mild Dyspraxia several times, but his academic issues to me seem more profound to be just called mild:

For info DS’ difficulties are:

1. Writing, spelling and grammar very behind - Writing: doing y3 objectives, SPAG: KS1 level with a standardised score of 94 (100 is average I believe and this is y1-2 level). Teacher says it’s his SPAG that is holding him back
2. Handwriting still messy
3. Has average ability in all other subjects, his reading standardised score is 100 for KS2 so he’s where he needs to be
4. His use of cutlery is not good for his age
5. Often a messy eater (EP seemed to see some significance in him not being aware of food still smeared on face)
6. Physically seems fine, not good at team sports I don’t think but a lot of kids aren’t, no problems with stairs, balance, learnt to ride a bike but didn’t like it, swimming ok, probably not progressing as much as he should but he’s still withers same group of kids since age 4

The EP also gave us what we believe was an autism screening form to complete (gave it back and forgot to photograph it), but he scored fine on that I think. He’s had an initial Dyslexia screening test and that came back as ‘low’ possibility.

My Grandson ( age 19) has Aspergers and dyspraxia but his is the falling over.
Clumsy.
Can't ride a bike.. catch a ball.
He can trip up over thin air.
If you give him an instruction...he will spin around a few times before processing it..he's only just managed to tie his laces .. although we taught him all the time from being very young
Yet he can hold a knife and fork. His hand writing is neat.. and he's a brilliant artist .
He didn't go to school. Was HE ..but now he's at the local university.
I've just bought him an induction driving lesson.
( Fingers crossed he can manage it)

@Moier it sounds like your DGS is affected in different ways too. It seems to have quite a broad range of symptoms doesn’t it? DS’ handwriting and artwork are not good at all, which sadly means his classmates have commented quite a few times which upsets him.

Ds is 12 and the same as your son, @Dreamerinme . His teacher flagged it just last month although her initial feeling (obviously heavily caveated) was about dyslexia. Ds's writing is appalling, spelling good until the weekly test is over, then it just falls out of his head. His layout of work is a disaster. He cycles well though bad at sports (personality rather than physicality) but can kick a ball, etc. Messy in everything he does and hopeless with a series of instructions. He's top of the class for maths though and his reading comprehension and verbal skills are excellent. I have to get started on some sort of assessment now over the summer.

Private Dyspraxia testing is different to ADHD testing because of the medication at the end of it, I would contact someone like the UK Dyslexia charity to find a list of approved dyslexia / dyspraxia assessors. The cost should be around £500.

An assessment will be invaluable to assess Dyspraxia (and I might be tempted to do Dyslexia at the same time) on advice from the report your DS may be allowed use of a computer or Dictaphone during SPAG lessons and learning these in primary school so he knows what works for him best in secondary will give him a real head start.

As well as all of this is reminding him daily that Fish can't climb trees and Monkeys aren't great swimmers, and its OK not to be amazing at everything because nobody is! In a world of technology now, the key skills taught in schools are very easily compensable in the world of work and keeping his morale and positivity up will be so critical.

DS has dyspraxia, he's still a messy eater as an adult! Always had terrible handwriting, poor at team sports. Used a laptop at secondary school and in exams. I would be extremely surprised if your ds got anything other than that offered at secondary school though.

Ds has a diagnosis of dyspraxia. He is 15 now and just can’t write. He’s fine at maths and reading. Terrible at sport but enjoys climbing.

he uses a laptop at school and gets extra time in exams.

he’s just done really well in his mocks but agree with another poster that it’s very very important to work on their self confidence. It can take a real hit not being able to do fairly mundane things very well.

DD1 has dyspraxia. The NHS assessment was done by an OT who then came in to school to discuss adjustments. We ended up getting a private diagnosis in Year 10 to ensure she got the adjustments she needed for GCSEs and beyond. What we discovered is that it goes well beyond the physical lack of dexterity and that people with dyspraxia think differently too which can make school tricky if the teacher isn't experienced in explaining concepts etc in a number of different ways. For DD this was a problem with maths until she ended up with a much older teacher who had seen it all before. A few other things that cropped up with DD that might apply to your DS too.

1. Although she was a fluent reader she cannot absorb information if she reads silently - so doing a comprehension in class was a problem as she was expected to read silently whereas it wasn't an issue at home as she could read aloud. This became a much bigger issue at secondary and she was allowed her own room for exams/to sit in a corner at the back of the class in lessons where silent reading was needed.
2. She cannot do a task and then tell you what she has done - again this wasn't an issue until secondary when expected to write up science experiments and cookery lessons etc.
3. She needs a level of physical feedback about what is happening at the ends of her extremities - so writing with a pencil or a fountain pen was much easier than with a biro or roller ball as they create less friction.

Prof Amanda Kirby has written a number of books all of which are good and can usually be picked up quite inexpensively secondhand.

DS 13 has dyspraxia (and Dyslexia) privately assessed 4 years ago.
his main issues are balance, messy writing, slow to ride a bike, late to tie shoe laces, not ‘good’ at art and DT, messy eater.

i would say that he has gradually gained skills but just a bit later than his peers. He types in his exams at school and switches between typing and writing during lessons. His teachers know him well and know his challenges and support him in his achievements. (DT and Art teachers have been great at celebrating his improvements even if he is behind most of the year group).

sport is a struggle but he has worked hard on his favourite one and can hold his own.

The diagnosis helped him to understand that he will find somethings more challenging than other people do but that he can get there. I think it has helped him feel less frustrated.

finally, as others have said, we focus on building his confidence and on what makes him special. He is kind and caring and a great friend. Who needs neat handwriting anyway?

That's interesting. My son has dyspraxia and is allowed to use a laptop at school, although he prefers to write (albeit badly).

I've recently got him a fountain pen that he has been using and he loves it. I would have thought that it would have been more difficult to use but he says it's a lot easier to write with.

He's 13 and still can't tie shoe laces, n lo matter how hard he tries but he can now tie a tie. He uses a spork and a knife at home but can use a fork when we eat out. He just finds it really tricky.

@TheChippendenSpook shoe laces were a nightmare for years - had to replace her PE trainers with elastic lock laces. Even now she ties them in a really weird way. I totally get the fountain pen though - glad he likes it. Given he's coming up to the GCSE years really recommend reading one of Prof Kirby's books and seeing what boxes they tick - maybe even read together. Then if any issues jump out at you go and talk to the SENCO - the sooner adjustments get put in place the easier it s to get accommodations for public exams as they show a normal method of working. Also if he needs an EdPsych report year 9 is the time to get the ducks n a row as they can only be backdated so far.

They all sound together like a set of traits rather than just one individual thing, so I’d wager that the ed psych is bob on. For more moderate dyspraxia and severe (if you will) I think you’d be looking at not being able to write with a pen at all and need the aid of a computer, trouble walking, extreme ‘clumsiness’, not being able to eat with cutlery at all etc. I know a fairly severely autistic child like this and it’s also linked to poor muscle tone in his case for example.

I do wonder whether my son will get this as a diagnosis, maybe mild dyspraxia because he does run into things, steps over people and can be seen as clumsy, but then he’s amazingly dexterous at climbing up things, and is very neat and tidy with his food, so who knows!

Both mine have dyspraxia. Both poor core stability and poor handwriting.
DD1, poor executive function and proprioception, unsafe in kitchen; DD2 poor balance eg stairs.

My DS is the same age as yours and was diagnosed around the same time. We were undergoing ASD assessment and the paediatrician advised us to get an occupational therapy assessment and then return for her to formalise it. My understanding is that that’s the “system” if done privately - you definitely need the OT assessment. The OT we saw was excellent and gave us quite a few suggestions on how to help him. It’s formally diagnosed as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in some areas.

In DS’s case, he has some quite significant motor issues and can’t ride a bike or tie laces yet - but he can ride a scooter so has balance. He has some issues with proprioception and interoception, which are probably contributing to some bowel issues, along with mild hypermobility. He finds cutlery difficult. I would say it extends to potentially being a processing issue as well, as he doesn’t necessarily understand a task unless it’s broken down for him - which has bigger implications educationally.

We have found school lack knowledge and I’ve had to be quite insistent about the need to make sure all staff, not just his classroom teacher, know he has this - the PE teacher wasn’t aware and it was quite clear he’d received no support during the music lessons where they were playing instruments (frankly, the teacher would have been able to tell by looking that there was an issue 🙄). We are planning to teach him to touch type with a view to getting a laptop for him. We’ve been told he’ll get extra time in exams and the OT was clear he needs an EHCP, which we’re looking into.

We have found school lack knowledge and I’ve had to be quite insistent about the need to make sure all staff, not just his classroom teacher, know he has this

This is really common - dyspraxia is very much the Cinderella of SEN. Several of DD's teachers knew it as "clumsy child syndrome" and they found the mental processing issues which went with it quite an eye opener. We were lucky that the OT and EdPsych who saw DD had a whole raft of easy adaptations to suggest to teachers - for example DD was allowed to watch a video of a chemistry experiment whilst the rest of the class were doing it as then she could remember what had happened.

We always suspected DS was autistic, and used strategies to support that, so when he was eventually diagnosed as autistic AND dyspraxic I felt we'd really missed the boat on a lot of the dyspraxic issues - we didn't really get any specialist support but actually I think it's been the biggest block to his learning.

All the things above: handwriting is appalling but it's not 'just' handwriting, it's like a missing link between hand and eye co-ordination. He's 19 and still can't tie shoelaces. He finds cutting really difficult, again it's like the bit of his brain that says 'that's hard enough pressure (or not)' isn't there so he's either sawing away for ages and not making a difference or he's practically chopping through the plate.

But the biggest issue for DS is executive function which is around memory and working memory - where information is 'stored'. He had no chance with exams because he couldn't remember things, and of course couldn't take notes because of being unable to write (plus massively distracted by classroom sensory stuff thanks to the autism). He can easily forget chunks of routines which has proved an issue in the workplace, though he seems to be doing better now. He forgets names regularly, has problems with directions and can struggle to process long strings of instructions.

It's a condition that's not particularly well understood and I found we didn't get much help at all beyond 'oh that's why he can't catch a ball'. It's a lot deeper than that.

DS now 30 had dyspraxia and dyslexia - getting a diagnosis was very difficult but he did have occupational therapy and an educational plan put in place and had 10 hours funded TA time at school. ( The headteacher at primary gave us a bottle of wine when our appeal overturned the original rejection.) I think TA arrangements are different now?
Secondary school were not always great and he did end up in some lower ability groups where many students just messed about so watch out for that. He did BTEC not A levels as mostly assignments which he could take his time writing rather than exams.
I really came on to say he had a further assessment prior to uni which was one of the hardest days of my life, never mind his, as I watched him try to match shapes and remember sequences etc BUT the university funded it and he had a scribe in all lectures and an amazing support tutor throughout his time there who would proof read for him and suggest he rethink a section that did not flow well etc ( she did not suggest content). Support was far better at university than school in our case.
He found it tough but got a first class business studies degree. He has always worked since uni but has found he learns new tasks more slowly than his peers and has not progressed as quickly as he would have liked.

Dyspraxia (dcd), dyslexia, ADHD and ASD are all neurodiverse conditions. Brain wiring can make a range of things difficult - social communication (asd), attention, focus, impulse control (ADHD), motor planning (dcd) reading (dyslexia). Any of them can impact on executive functioning (planning, prioritizing) and processing.

You may find someone who can do both a dyslexia assessment and a dcd assessment but unlikely in the NHS.

Dcd assessments are often done by OTs, using a standardized assessment but diagnosed by a paediatrician - because one of the diagnostic criteria is "and there is no other cause for the motor difficulty". They are the only people who can medically screen the child for the other conditions which can impact on their motor planning and coordination.

There are some unscrupulous assessors in the private sector who feel bad if you've given them lots of money and they don't want to tell you there's nothing wrong with your child, so you get the label anyway.

Many health authorities have a lot of information to support poor coordination in children and young people. Have a google and you will find a lot of strategies that you can use to help your child with the thing they find difficult.

Kids with DCD are capable of learning the key motor skills - it just takes them longer

One technique that works well with dcd kids asking them to plan an activity such as skipping, try it, then discuss what worked and what didn't. What could they change? Would it make it better? Try it again. What was different ?

Poor coordination is a lifelong thing. However, as an adult you can be more selective about what you do. You do t have endure school PE and ball sports etc but you can choose to climb, paddle, lift weights... Etc etc. the more physical activity they can be encouraged to do,the better their coordination will be.

Thank you, I'll have a look. They've already said he'll get extra time in his exams. He did in his SATs at the end of primary school as well. He had extra time for some of his tests and a scribe for others. They said that's quite rare as it's either one or the other usually but I don't know about that.

He's on the waiting list for an autism assessment too which has taken years for a variety of reasons. CAMHS have said that he should be seen before the end of year 9 so I'm hopeful about that too.

I wasn't diagnosed and failed all my exams. I made sure ds2 was diagnosed when he was four. He had Physio and Occupational Therapy at school. He's now 28 and we have stayed in contact with his OT. When ds2 did his Level 2 and 3 BSL The OT wrote a report so that ds was able to have extra time and someone with him for his exams.

My child has autism but because of under sensitivity to tactile sense and issues with vestibular senses he presents very much like a dyspraxic child.

He is 11 and cannot catch a ball or swing a bat or racket to hit a ball. It took us 2 years of lessons to get him swimming independently. His handwriting is like that of a 5 year old. He only learnt to ride a bike for the first time a few months ago. He struggles with cutlery, cannot tie shoelaces, has only recently mastered brushing his own teeth...

DS is 12, in year 8 and we were told by OT that he probably has dysgraphia at the end of year 5. I think it’s likely he has dyspraxia but not diagnosed.
His handwriting, spatial awareness on a page etc are well below his age. He’s clumsy, spills a lot and can’t catch and throw a ball.
His reading comprehension and SPAG are all good. He can eat with a knife and fork, tie shoelaces (but not tightly), swim and ride a bike.
He learned to touch type in year 6 and now uses a Microsoft surface laptop as his main method of working/ recording. He gets 25% extra time in exams/ school tests. He’s achieving well at school.
For sport he’s learning to row and that’s brilliant for him as you don’t need to be that coordinated!
Get him typing and find a non ball sport he likes (swimming also good) and he will fly.

My son is dyspraxic. His isn't mild. He can't swim. Can't ride a bike. Ask him to stand one leg and he starts to fall immediately. He is 17. He never falls over because he never puts himself into a position to fall, never has. He his sensory issues. Can stand being touched. I can touch him but it got to be with washed hands and slow but firm touch.

He has a language disorder and processing issues. He has been in a sen School since age 8. He has a very high IQ and passed 8 gcses grade C and above. If you met him you'd never guess he has SEN Or attends a SEN school. He is charming, bright and intelligent. But he will never be a sportsman. He sang and danced at this years Edinburgh Fringe. Early therapy and the right school. He isn't the child he was at diagnosis but he didn't grow out of it, he grew into it I guess. He was diagnosed via OTs recommendations to his paediatrician. But I had it all confirmed privately by a NHS paediatrician working privately out of harley Street. No one could refute a paediatrician at St George's. Unfortunately she has retired now.

I haven't read through all the replies but the cutlery on amazon is fab and worked wonders for helping my dd be able to cut her food.