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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be upset that the OT has written that dd has global developmental delay

28 replies

Aranea · 22/06/2011 12:15

.... when she doesn't?

She has difficulties with gross motor skills, and poor co-ordination. She was assessed 6 months ago by the OT. I have only just received the report and recommendations (which also states that they are actually discharging her), and the opening line of the letter says that she has global developmental delay.

She's very bright academically, so I'm confident that this isn't the case. But AIBU to ask that they change the letter and re-send it? I don't want this statement to be on anybody's files.

OP posts:
worraliberty · 22/06/2011 12:17

I would find out if it was deliberate or a mistake and take it from there.

Original poster
Aranea · 22/06/2011 12:25

It can't be deliberate. She's 6 and has been assessed by the EP as being on the 98th percentile for literacy and numeracy skills.

OP posts:
happytourer · 22/06/2011 12:25

Could it be they're right? they're the experts

cory · 22/06/2011 12:27

I would ask them to look into this. Have known some strange statements in medical letters but have usually let it go, this one seems to me important enough to have investigated.

Original poster
Aranea · 22/06/2011 12:27

That response is exactly why I want the file changed.

OP posts:
clemetteattlee · 22/06/2011 12:27

I taught a child with global development delay. He was gifted academically at 11 but would rarely do as I asked. Eg, if I set homework to write a page about Elizabeth I he would write 27 pages on the Titanic.

Original poster
Aranea · 22/06/2011 12:27

Sorry, that was in response to cory

OP posts:
Original poster
Aranea · 22/06/2011 12:28

I mean happy tourer. Not managing this posting on phone business!

OP posts:
Original poster
Aranea · 22/06/2011 12:29

The school are having no problems with her, find her very bright and compliant.

OP posts:
worraliberty · 22/06/2011 12:31

Ask them to change the letter then..sounds like the best idea.

clemetteattlee · 22/06/2011 12:32

But GDD doesn't mean that she is delayed in ALL areas, just delayed in more than one (of Physical, Motor development, Cognitive; Language, Social interactions, Emotional, Psychological or Spiritual)

Original poster
Aranea · 22/06/2011 12:48

The report deals entirely with fine and gross motor skills, and no-one, at any point during the two years she's been being assessed, has ever mentioned the words 'global developmental delay'. Wouldn't you expect it to have been mentioned at some point before a discharge letter?

OP posts:
Original poster
Aranea · 23/06/2011 15:37

Well, the OT seems very embarrassed and has asked me to put it down to human error. She says she will be sending out correction letters immediately to everyone she's sent it to. I've been taken aback by the number of you who thought the letter might be right and I must have failed to notice a case of GDD, and it has made me see very clearly how important it is to ensure that the mistake is put right and removed from everyone's files straight away.

OP posts:
bubblecoral · 23/06/2011 15:40

But it could be right! In your case it wasn't and obviously mistakes happen, but GDD can be very subtle, and is often nothing to do with academic ability.

pigletmania · 23/06/2011 16:27

The ot is in no position to diagnose your dd, an Ed Psych and Paed would do dx. I would question it with her

bigwombat · 23/06/2011 16:32

My dd2 has severe learning disabilities - GDD seems to be used as a catch all description when there is no specific diagnosis. I thought it was usual that there would be delays in most areas for GDD to apply. It doesn't sound applicable in your case to me. Perhaps the OT was on autopilot (so many children are described as having GDD these days).

keepingupwiththejoneses · 23/06/2011 16:39

The technical definition of global delay is that a child has difficulties in two areas of development so yes your dd does have it. It doesn't mean that your dd has any form of learning difficulty but she does have problems in two areas. As Bigwombat says it is an umbrella diagnosis, until or in replacement for a specific diagnosis.

Oblomov · 23/06/2011 16:51

Piglet, I thought an EP didn't diagnose ?

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 23/06/2011 18:23

OT diagnose ime.

Maybe they only diagnose certain things though Confused

EllenJaneisnotmyname · 23/06/2011 18:33

I think OTs can DX dyspraxia, so maybe they can DX a small proportion of physical diagnoses. But not GDD, which would require a developmental Paed. It's probably a cut and paste error. Well done for challenging it.

pretentiouswasteoftime · 23/06/2011 18:35

It just means that she has significant delay in two or more areas compared with other children of her age. It is important to acknowledge this as she is bright academically and perhaps at some stage might need support to keep her happy in that area. I am thinking of fine motor skills making writing harder for example, or more tiring in which case she might have a good case for perhaps word processing facilities in school etc.

It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with her intelligance - clearly she is very bright but it's about helping her where needed so she doesn't get frustrated.

My son who is dyspraxic (among other things) is also very bright but requires his sensory and co-ordination issues to be taken into account in the classroom. This enables him to be comfortable when studying/reading/writing - if they didn't acknowledge this he would be very far behind.

I wouldn't be over worried but would check that the report clarifies what areas they are discussing in this "delay". Am assuming it is a report for school.

Original poster
Aranea · 23/06/2011 20:26

No, keepingupwiththejoneses, my dd does not have it. As I have already said, the OT is very embarrassed (as she should be) and has apologised for her error. I assume it is a cut-and-paste mistake, easily done I suppose, but I am shocked that such a mistake should be made and sent out to everyone connected with my dd in this way.

I also think several people's responses on here have been odd. My question was not whether my dd has GDD - she doesn't- but how I ought to handle the OT's mistake. The assumption that the a letter from an 'expert' must be correct, regardless of any other information provided, is an absurd and dangerous attitude.

OP posts:
clemetteattlee · 23/06/2011 20:37

To be fair, your response that she can't have it because she is clever was just misinformed so made it sound like you weren't completely au fait with the diagnosis. But, as she is your child, I will assume you know best...

tethersend · 23/06/2011 20:41

It doesn't matter who is diagnosing it, for the purposes of this scenario, unless your DD has a statement which says GDD, then no other paperwork should refer to her having it.

If she were to receive a dx of GDD then her statement would need amending to reflect this; however, she has received no such dx.

Glad you took it up with the OT and she responded well.

tethersend · 23/06/2011 20:41

That's assuming she has a statement at all...?

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