could this be dysparxia

[georgesmum007]

Hi
I am in a bit of a panic- usual for paranoid mum that I am.
I am looking for advice my son is 4yrs and we were recently told by school that he has indistinct speech and requires speech therapy. We are also awaitng orthpediac appt for foot and gait problems. He falls over all the time and twists his body
HE has problems associating with other children in his nursery. He is left handed but at the moment is consistently confused over which hand he uses for writing etc.
He has quite good fine motor control beside this.
He is and always has been a difficult sleeper- from the moment he was born,he He is constantly moving and has started making constant noise at times- often repeatative sounds.

He was induced at 37 weeks due to IUGR.
Could this be dyspraxia? What do I do next? Should I just wait until I get the appts I already have in pipeline and see what happens then? Do I mention it to teachers at school?????
Feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment

Your son could have any number of conditions, from dyspraxia, to ADHD, to being dyslexic or having mild Aspergers' syndrome, which would account for the problems with friends and the repetitive noises etc.

It is unlikely he has dyspraxia if he has good fine motor control - what is his gross motor control like?

I would recommend that you see a paediatrician, contact the Dyspraxia Foundation for info, and also consider having him assessed for Aspergers'.

if you want any 1:1 help, I work as aparent coach dealing with kids with problems like this as well as the usual stuff Mums worry about.
www.aspire-coaching.co.uk

I agree that if the fine motor skills are good, that doesn't really fit with Dyspraxia but this might be useful. IMO teachers are pretty clued up about Dyspraxia - they probably would have mentioned it to you by now if they thought that's what it was. Wait for the appointments but be as pushy as you can cope with being - the follow-up reports/letters can take ages to appear.

What does IMO stand for?

Also, what do DS and DD stand for when people use them in their posts?

IMO -in my opinion & DS & DD is dear/darling son/daughter.

I think my DS has dyspraxia, but his fine motor skills are very poor, as is his concentration. He is a very messy eater & his whole posture is very slack. He doesn't sit on his chair properly, is very lathargic, struggles to put on his seatbelt still (he is 7.5), has poor social skills & doesn't mix well etc.
Both nursery & school have raised concerns, but I have really had to push to get anything done re a referral.
I think it is often quicker to go throgh your GP rather than waiting for school to do anything!

Part of the problem in getting a diagnosis of Dyspraxia is that it is a medical condition and so the Educational Psychologist, occupational therapists and other people who may well get involved aren't actually able to make a medical diagnosis. We were referred back and forth between people - finally the GP referred us to the Community Paediatrician, who ultimately gave us the diagnosis, which we needed if we were to have a chance of getting a Statement of SEN. Just having that letter saying "X is Dyspraxic" made the world of difference to DS's self-esteem - he'd been blaiming himself for his difficulties, so in our case at least it was really worth the nagging and chasing.

Hassled- IME I don't think many teachers know anything about dyspraxia. I work with dyslexics for some of my time, and in 99% of cases, it is the parents who have initiated tests etc etc- not schools. (I had to with my own son)

Teacher training does not include any training on dyslexia, dyspraxia, Aspergers' etc. The only way that a teacher would be clued up is if he/she had either an interest, or had taken further qualifications, like myself.

Any parent who suspects anyof these conditions should et help as quickly as possible, as the sooner remediation begins the better the outlook. In some cases this might mean pushing your GP for a referral, paying for a private appt with a Dr, or paying for an assessment by an ed psych. Waiting for school to do anything is usually a non-starter- inmy 30 years in teaching, and as a parent of a dyslexic , I have NEVER ever, seen schools take the initiative.