8 year old can't hop/forward roll/wheelbarrow

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Hi
My 8 year old was a bum shuffler who didn't walk until he was 2.5. He's the top of his class and all that blah blah, great fine motor skills and great at maths/english etc. We always kept an eye on his development but today he was practically on all fours crawling over rocks and couldn't go up the side of a small sand dune without help. I've stood back, keeping an eye on it but not wanting to pathologise it (he's never going to be a sporty kid. he's a massive lovely dork just like his mum and dad!) and hoped he would catch up but he doesn't seem to be (school haven't said anything) and he's getting to the stage of becoming tentative about exercise and sad about it. Any advice?

Get an assessment for dyspraxia and although would have to be private retained reflexes/development delay.

Has he tried to hop? Or has he just not tried coz he’s not interested? Can he not do things or does he give up easily?

I can't forward roll. I can't say it has held me back any in life.

I feel the same Flowerclock! He can hop for two seconds Swanshaped. I don't want to kneejerk make this into a big deal but it's really stark when he's beside his mates now. The gap is widening rather than closing. And don't get me wrong, I could only ever roller skate with one roller skate for years and had stabilisers on my bike for years so I'm not looking for an Olympian in any sense. I just want to support him but I don't want to interfere as well.

So a private OT assessment?

No dyspraxia is assessed as part of wider "learning difficulties".

For retained reflexes read around this website I used this practitioner he is amazing and relatively inexpensive. It's pretty mainstream in Australia.

www.accesspotential.net

I would have thought an assessment would be useful. I am not an expert but that does sound like a bit more than non-sportiness (a quality I also have!).

We found the nhs OT assessment fantastic for both ds1 and ds2. She gave excellent advice and support and we did not need to wait long from a GP referral. With ds1 we saw a paediatrician first but with ds2 we had to see OT before paediatrician. In both cases the paediatrician based her diagnosis of dyspraxia on the OT report.

I could not hop. Still cannot.
I could not skip. Still cannot.
Could not ride a bike. Rode an adult size tricycle with a basket.
Made it through three universities and raised three children. No big deal.

Thanks mizzles. Yeah that's my feeling. I've sat back but as I said I see him trying but it's just not going anywhere. I thought a couple of OT sessions would build his confidence and get him using his body. he goes to karate twice a week and is making good progress there. He has a fit bit and he walks a lot. He just has not much core strength. He missed the toddler time when they bounce off everything and fall about so he was always nervous of falling etc. Anyway, thanks for your help. I just don't want to make a non-problem into a problem but if it is a problem.. I guess there's ways of doing it so he doesn't feel like it;s a problem. Mumlife eh?

Yup, dyspraxia. Your GP should refer to a paediatrician for diagnosis. Private OT (if affordable) would be able to make a decent and speedy assessment to feed into this.

did no medical professional ever pick up on the fact that he didn't walk until 2.5?

Hypermobility is another possibility especially if there’s any in the family

Either way, core strength exercise will help a LOT if you think he would feel happier if he were more physically able. Swimming is brilliant. Can he ride a bike?

Another one saying, it could be dyspraxia; and you need an OT assessment.
Depending on the outcome you might need a Psychology assessment too.... he might be bright but there can be executive function difficulties there.

The bottom line with Dyspraxia is- what's the impact on day to day life, and if there's a specific skill he needs to learn (make a bed, crack an egg, ride a bike) you just practice and practice it until they get it.

Thanks all. My partner is dyspraxic (not his dad) and he is like tick, tick, tick for dyspraxia but I'm not sure about my son. But yes, I'll get him assessed privately. He can't ride a bike and is scared of trying now alas. Thanks for the feedback. He was evaluated by a psych when he was wee and all was very good. I can't remember the terms but basically genius level. His gran was very happy telling all her Chiswick mum chums how intelligent her grandson is. hahaha!

Please see a paediatrician not a physio. It's usually nothing serious but occasionally boys who were late walkers have an underlying muscle issue. Best to get that ruled out before going down the route of dyspraxia etc.

Dyspraxia isn't always a straightforward diagnosis.

My DD taught herself to ride a 2 wheeler by the age of 4, was great at running and a scooter.
Cannot throw or catch to save her life and has slow working processing which was obvious in mental arithmetic.

He needs a full neuromuscular assessment. Give family history.

Gp to refer to paed and full physio /ot assessment.

Usually ot or physio can do abc movement battery assessment
www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/Psychology/ChildCognitionNeuropsychologyandLanguage/ChildPerceptionandVisuomotorAbilities/MABC-2/MovementAssessmentBatteryforChildren-SecondEdition(MovementABC-2).aspx?gclid=CjwKCAjw47eFBhA9EiwAy8kzNONGOVN37FHIffnaRBzi3VtSlMkCNSnEDtPG7j4h30dsTQ65kbxftxoCbrEQAvD_BwE

But he needs full neuromuscular assessment to see what is going on whether it s a form of EDS or a neuromuscular issue

My son has severe dyspraxia and ehlers danlos syndrome on top, which makes him very hypermobile meaning the dyspraxia is much worse. He is just as you have described your child even down to very high achievement levels on ed psych assesments.
I saw you mentioned grandpatents in Chiswick so wondered if you were London based. If you are i'd recommend this place for assesment. They can slso help suggest strategies to improve the situation.

maximumpotential.org.uk/our-locations/

GP should mention late walking, not keeping up with peers (and gap widening) mobility wise and not being able to hop. In an 8 year old boy I would expect a prompt invitation to clinic from a paediatrician. This doesn't necessarily mean it's anything serious, but please don't just go down the route of private dyspraxia or hypermobility assessments.

I think it’s good to be relaxed about these things, but I’d want some kind of assessment. So that any physio or whatever you need to do, can be done while he’s still young.

Could be low muscle tone. Could be an inner ear problem causing balance issues. Could be something else.

Personally, if it were my child and they were able to happily get through a typical day with no difficulty, I wouldn't be too worried. I might mention it at next check-up but probably wouldn't make a specific appointment.

My DS is dyspraxic and it's helped him a lot to understand why he finds things hard that others do easily. Before his diagnosis he just thought he was rubbish and bad.
We got diagnosed through an NHS OT and paediatrics route.

The downside is the school don't really know how to support DS but at least he doesn't think he's stupid any more

I would get him assessed - could it be a co-ordination or balance issue?

Not sure if it would be a physio you would see - but start with GP - don’t be fobbed off as there is clearly something going on.