Social side of dyspraxia

[BongeddyBong]

Ds has had an up and down relationship with diagnosis of dyspraxia. Initially the paed said he was dyspraxic, then said he wasn't, but couldn't really say and referred to physio. Physio has said bit early to tell at five.

Gross motor ok, runs a bit slowly but compensates with elbows. Fine motor good (builds intricate lego models), reading well and writing big and messy but can construct good sentences / write short books.

Anyway it's all a bit hard to tell.

My issue is the social side. He can be moody, where often other children are sunny. He hates noise and chaos and prefers structured activities.

I don't now how forgiving I should be of his quirks or if I am employing the best tactics. I want to make sure I am not making things worse.

So if you have a dyspraxic child please could you let me know what they are like socially, if they face extra challenges and how you deal with it. thanks

I might see if I can have a chat with her teacher. There is something in me that's quite resistant to exploring this - but I probably need to remember that it might actually get her some help where she needs it.

DD doesn't appear to have difficulties physically - I think she runs okay, and she swims - she's not at all sporty, but neither am I. However, she is capable of just falling of a chair from time to time!

She is very strong academically, but sometimes (fairly often, really) fails to write anything at all when asked. This is a source of deep frustration to teacher and parent when she is otherwise so able!

There isn't much anyone else can do for ds really. It is up to me and dh to help and order. A few times to the OT have just resulted in me answering a load of questions and them saying not much at all. Which is irritating, although he is only 5 so they've always said that it is a bit early to tell.

For me, the best thing was to have better understanding of why he acts a certain way. As it is so mild his reluctance to do something would have been stressful, now I feel a bit like someone has handed me a manual.

So maybe for the writing your dd would prefer to type on a computer? (as she gets older).

DD is 9 and being investigated for dyspraxia, at the moment only at school, but we are wondering whether to take it through the gp/OT path now. We've been told her dyspraxia is mainly on the social side with some physical tendencies - eg writing not up to her imagination/ideas, concentration all over the place, etc. She's always been a little socially awkward, invades peoples space etc, not 'appropriate' in her interactions therefore puts other dc off (it can be so heartbreaking.)

She is best friends now with a little girl with AS, they balance each other out so well, it's great to see. DD doesn't have problems with parties etc, though does get upset at some noises/heights and that kind of thing. She has hyperactive tendencies which seem to be getting more pronounced and obvious as she gets older, so we are wondering if it would help to take this further but like you purple we are a bit reluctant to go down the whole labelling road and wonder if she just needs to learn to cope with it all herself - she muddles along ok in general.

Good to hear about different dcs with dyspraxia and how it is coped with.

Hello

I have a teenager who is Dyspraxic and was diagnosed in 2001, there is no specialised centre in London but there is one in Wales, this has only been around in the medical world for around 20 years or so so little research are available for these children.

I have also been looking at what the education system can provide for children with these needs.

I'm setting up a support group in North London for this specific group if your interested my email is [email protected]

My DD (11) has dyspraxia and always used to be slightly 'off' socially. Even now she isn't very good at eye contact, will get obsessed with one thing and ask me things at the most inappropriate moments. We gave up big parties at 6 and shd copes much better with one or two friends at a time.

She's really blossomed since tranferring to middle school two years ago, despite my fears. At the moment all the year 6 girls are a bit of a nightmare snd she's fitting right in!

A new girl came into the school earlier this year and she clicked with DD right away and for now they are firmly best friends which is lovely. I've noticed that her friendship circle generally is widening as her confidence increases and there are more people to chose friends than in her first school.

I think maybe it is harder for boys as sport inevitably forms a lot of the social scene and it's much harder to join in when you are dyspraxic. The social skills side is where support for dyspraxia really falls down, when I asked for help the Senco couldn't find anything. I've found being relentlessly sociable myself helps, as much chance for DD to watch social interactions as possible. If she is going on about something when I'm stressed I ask her to stop and have a think about whether it is a good time to be asking me something and she is gradually learning to think a little more before she speaks. It is something DS at 6 has naturally picked up, interesting to see the difference. We've also had many discusssions about not wanting someone to play the same thing over and over. Also I've been very open about her dyspraxia during the bad times with friend's parents who I think have had a quiet word with their children on occasions, for which I'm hugely grateful.

She has a friend over for a sleepover at the moment which has gone well and something I try to do regularly , which I find helps as they get to know each other on DD's home territory so to speak, where she feels comfortable and supported. Sorry, have gone on a bit.