Can I ask those of you with experience of Dyspraxia and APD some questions???

[Becaroooo]

Go easy on me!! I am (fairly) new!

ds1 (age 7) and has struggled with reading and writing since the commencement of formal schooling at 5. He also has other issues, although no behavioural ones.

He is currently being assessed by a Neuro developmental delay therapist and has been referred to the comm paed by our GP.

He has been at his new school for 3 months and has settled in well (old school was greadful - looonngg story!)

Anyway, when he was assessed by the NDD therapist she used the terms "dyspraxia" and "APD".

I wondered if any of you could tell me what the school could/should be doing to help ds1 assuming that this dx is correct? (and I beleive it is)

The HT wants to meet in 6 weeks when we will have received the report from the NDD therapists and it is possible he will be put on School Action (he is not getting any extra help atm.)

Is there anything I should be asking/anything I should be requesting/anything I should take with me to the meeting?

Thanks!

Hi becaroo, an expert at all, just wanted to post quickly, if you have a quick look at the Dyslexia Support Thread (can't do link sorry!) that has been about this week there is info on APD from Dolfrog and Indigo, it might be helpful to you. Also if they are thinking dyspraxia a referred to Occupational Therapy may be of great benefit to you and ds x

that should read "not an expert at all" lol!

Thanks x

My 10yr-old has difficulties with fine motor skills and a lot of dyspraxic traits (official dx is ASD). Things that have helped over the years are:

• Daily 'exercises' with playdough. So things like rolling it into sausage shapes, squeezing it etc.

• Sloped writing board to help get him into a better writing position.

• Wedge cushion on his chair to help keep him in position (he used to slide off his chair without support)

• Finding other methods to record his work: can include things like a scribe, dictaphone, touch typing etc.

If your dd has trouble forming letters/numbers correctly (ds used to get letters backwards and do mirror writing) then it could help if she is offered other methods for practising them, eg tracing them with her fingers in flour, using paints etc.

Ditto coppertop really. DS dx dyspraxia has daily exercises - 15 minutes a day - and 2 extra sessions throughout the week.
Something to think of also is how the individual teachers will adapt their class to make life a bit easier. There are many ways to check understanding of the lessons. Constant writing the answers will not be of benefit. Swapping tests and getting other children to mark each others can be difficult if they don't 'get' the writing. Verbal testing can often help. If extra time is needed to write on topic, where is this extra time going to come from - play time, golden time or another relaxing or enjoyable time? If this is constantly the case, it can affect moral - it becomes more like a punishment. Then it can affect their view on education.
Issues like these need to be addressed to ensure that your DS still finds school a positive experience. Unfortunately it can be a year on year thing to check as each teacher has a different style!

I know what you mean aunt ds1 will be leaving this teacher in July so we will no doubt have to have another meeting in Sept with his new one.

I will make sure that any extra work they do is not done in playtime/PE/golden time etc....good point!

Thanks

copper Oddly, his letter formation is good - although he does get them the wrong way round sometimes - but his writing is so LARGE! He also forgets his finger spaces so its difficult to read IYSWIM?

He is making progress, albeit very very slowly and I am very aware he will just get more behind

The thing is Becaroooo, that as they get older, there is more requirement for writing in greater swathes. I'm just at the point of addressing the increased volume now. DS's teacher has already verbally agreed that literacy homework, where content is the primary feature, can be done on the computer at home. She's realistic. He still has to 'present' the work in the same way - capitals, paragraphs, punctuation etc. She wants his mind to be more focussed on the content.
DS is due an OT/Physio assessment soon and i will ask for them to recommend touch typing system for use in class. school is very good. If OT/Physio recommend - it's done. Seems an easier way of approaching it than starting from the school end (i don't feel like pushing for anything when i can do it the easy way )

Ds1 is currently doing exercises he has been given by the therapist (bit similar to OT I guess) every day and will get more/different ones each time we go back.

Not sure when the comm paed appt will arrive...could be months I suppose but at least his HT and teacher are now aware that there are "issues" that need dealing with to help ds1 achieve his potential.

I know what you need re: not approaching it from the school end...its only since I have been to my own GP and got him referred and taken him to be assessed at INPP that I am being taken seriously!!

You may get some ideas from the Dyspraxia Foundation with regard to what your school could be putting in place.

www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/services/ed_classroom_guidelines.php

I also found this an informative site regarding APD
www.ndcs.org.uk/family_support/auditory_processing_disorder/index.html

Buy Developmental Dyspraxia or any book by by Madeline Portwood.

Becaroooo

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a listening disability, or having problems processing what you hear. Those who have APD will have problems processing all sound based information, which includes speech. So those who have APD will have problems following conversations, and verbal instructions. APDs have poor auditory memories, and tend to have poor sequencing skills.
Low levels of background noise can make the problems worse.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) officially recognised APD in 2004. according to the MRC 10% of children have some degree of APD including those who have suffered from Otitis Media with Effusion (Glue Ear)

In the USA they have been aware of APD for 30 years or more, and APD Evaluation to Therapy: The Buffalo Model is the best online definition and description of APD.
The APDUK web site tries to provide the best APD related information and demonstrate how APDs prefer information to be presented using multi-coloured fonts, and extra spacing of text.

APD is one of the underlying cognitive causes of the dyslexic symptom. Dyslexia is about having problems decoding a man made communication system the visual notation of speech. APDs have problems processing speech let alone any form of notation of it.

There is no cure for APD, so living with APD is about developing your own coping strategies using your cognitve strengths to develop alternative skill to work around you information processing deficits. Those born with APD will begin to develop their own coping strategies from birth.

One of our APD sons also has some dyspraxic issues and this can hinder or delay his ability to work around his APD processing problems.

Out of interest dolfrog, have you any experience of 'the listening programme?' This has been suggested for my son (suspected apd but only 4 so not diagnosed). Thanks

feynman

First the official answer from APDUK.
The Listening Program (TLP) is one of many remedial programs which may help many who have APD, and related auditory processing issues.
All various APD remedial programs including TLP should only be tried or used with the advice and preferably provision by an Audiologist or Speech and Language Pathologist.

OK now this is me.
As a family of APDs we tried out TLP which was provided after our two older sons ans I had all been diagnosed as having APD, back in 2004.
Unfortunately things did not work out too well. our middle son experienced some pain in his ears, our eldest son was not really interested at the time being a typical teenager at the time, and it mucked up my existing coping strategies, which was not so good when I was at work.

So we are not part of the group who benefited from using the program, but many others do

All of the various remedial programs can only provide or suggest a specific method of coping with a the many complex issues that can cause APD. The real problem is that we still do not have the technology fully understand all the causes of APD, and so there is no full scientific explanation of how remedial programs help those who have APD. But like many issues in the world of education there is history of what works for some or many without really understanding the reasons why.

When our eldest son was first diagnosed as having APD or CAPD as it was known then in 1998, I had to join the USA CAPD forums to find out what APD was, so that I could explain his problems to his school, teachers etc. On those forums the parents from the USA would proudly list all the programs their children had been put through as always asked which program they should try next.
The advice from the APD professionals let children develop their own coping strategies until the age of maturation 7 / 8 years old , when children stop growing out of this types of problems. If there is a family history of APD problems, the genetic link, or a child has suffered from Otitis Media with Effusion (Glue EAR) then APD is more than like to be the probably cause of the problems, and some leading APD practitioners would be able to advise with regard the types of support that could be provided.

So you really need some expert professional advice, (Great Ormond Street Hospital , or may be the Nuffield Hospital).
It is hoped to have more regional APD centres in the very near future, after the Medical Research Councils new APD diagnostic tests gain official approval as the recognised diagnostic tests for APD.

I hope this helps

Thanks for that, its really helpful.

ds1 is having some auditory testing in 6 weeks time so will know more then.

I also feel that he is dyslexic and have done for some time but will wait til the school put some intervention in place before I ask for him to be assessed.

Thank you dolfrog, that was a really helpful post. My son has sensory processing issues and see's an OT for this. It is him who sugested tlp. He has a history of glur ear, in fact just waiting for another hearing test as his grommets are out and he's got very loud again. Im not sure about the genetic link. My brother has asd, dyspraxia retained reflexes etc, and I remember him going for some auditory training programme thing in London but that must have been nearly 20 years ago. Anyway I digress. Do you know how you go about getting professional advice. Can you self refer to Nuffield or anywhere or do you go through gp?

Thanks

I think you need to ring the nuffield and ask their advice..some docs want referral letters, some dont.

I have gone through my GP for a referral to the comm paed BUT we are paying privately for ds1 to go to INPP and so their neuro develeopmental delay therapy. Its not cheap, but for the first time I feel as if I am doing something for ds1.

feynman
Currently you will require a GP referral to Great Ormond Street Hospital of the Nuffield Hospital.
it is hoped to have more regional APD assessment centres in the very near future.
You will also need a the result from a recent hearing test. so that any hearing impairment can be calibrated into the assessment procedures.

Unfortunately I am not able to make a referral I only help run the UK APD support organisation, creating web sites, and helping provide information and support for those who have APD.