possible dyspraxia, special needs register and lots of questions

[ditavonteesed]

sorry in advance I really dont know what I am talking about, or asking.
following parents evening the week before last things have gone a bit whirlwindy. dd1 is 8yo, in y3 and is struggling with maths and handwriting mainly. teacher had concerns, I had a meeting with the senco at school last week where we discussed possible dyspraxia and what will happen now.
senco explained that they will see learning support team within school and then hopefully and ed physch, but none of this will happen quickly. I was told dd1 will be but on a pre maths program straight away to try and help her a little with her maths.
Teacher came to see me today and told me that after discussing things with her colleagues, from what she knows of dd1 and from what we have discussed they have decided not to wait for any diagnosis before implementing help, she will start to recieve extra help with her handwriting and maths mmedialty, which is great. she told me that this means dd1 will be placed on the special needs register, this is where I am confused, I dont really know what the special needs register is. does this mean that they expect that dd1 will be diagnosed with something, or is this just something that happens anyway? I understand that whatever is going on dd1 needs a bit of extra help, my mum had discussed getting a tutor in to help with her writing (apparently this is something they did for me at the same age) again I am not sure whether this is a good idea or not.
Anyway sorry if I shouldnt really be posting in this section but if anyone is able to explain in laymans terms what any of this means it would help me a lot. TIA.

None of these people can actually diagnose got your GP and ask for a referral to a pead or OT who is qualified to diagnose.

The special needs register is tiered as follows:-

1. School Action = school provide extra support in house.
2. School Action plus = outside agencies such as ed pysch involved.
3. Statement - only at this level is any help for your child legally protected & in my lea only 1.5% children ever get a statement.

Here's a quick guide:-
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/SpecialEducationalNeeds/index.htm

Dyspraxia is a developmental disorder which affects motor skills & executive function to varying degrees. I've tried to describe it below in laymans terms.

fine motor skills such as handwriting, & shoelaces, gross motor skills such as catching & throwing, balance - sometimes speech can also be affected.
executive function - typically volatile personality, scatty

Amazon sell Theodorescu's write from the start which is a developmentally appropriate handwriting programme you can use at home. It would work out cheaper than a tutor.

thanks :) those books look really good.

do you know if I would need to take dd with me to gp?

so the special needs register is basically for anyone recieving extra help?
sorry again I know I sound a bit ignorant, this is all new to me.

For the handwriting problems I agree with Bochead. Don't go for a tutor, go for either Write From The Start or Speed Up

Handwriting Advicel

Of course you are welcome to post here - we're a friendly bunch.

Yes, any child identified as needing additional support in order to make adequate progress (except where the need is English as a second language) can be put on the SEN register.

My ds2 was put on it for two years following a serious case of pneumonia that resulted in him losing all the skills he had learned previously at school. He had additional support, both individually and in small groups over the two years and when he had sufficiently caught up he was taken back off the register. Conversely ds1 (who has Aspergers) has moved through School Action and School Action Plus and we have just sent off a request for him to be assessed for a Statement. He won't ever come off the SEN Register, because he will always need some form of extra support in order to access the curriculum effectively and make adequate progress.

Most, but not all, schools will produce an Individual Education Plan where they would identify some meaningful and achievable targets for your dd. These would then be reviewed on a regular basis and adjusted or changed as required. Best practice would be for you to be involved in this process, so ideally you would attend all the review meetings.

As far as the GP appointment goes. We booked an appointment without ds1 in the first instance and then took him back for a second appointment, at which point she did the referral to the paediatrician. It might be possible to do the initial bit via telephone consultation though, which cuts down on the need for two trips to the surgery.

Ds1 also has fine motor problems and struggles with the technical drawing required for maths, as well as his handwriting. He started the Speed Up programme last year and really enjoyed it, but the tutor then became ill, so unfortunately it was cancelled half-way through. He has just restarted it with a new teacher though.

The Dyspraxia Foundation website is a good place to find out more about signs and symptoms etc.

thanks, just got back from school so a biit more clued up now. They think dyslexia and dyspraxia. I did not think dyslexia was a possibility as she can read but they said she has a lot of other signs (not the word they used)
things they are putting in place immediatly are
Theodorescu's write, she will do this every morning instead of the morning job that they do from the board.
zapper spelling, dont know what this is so off to investigate.
a gross motor skills workshop, once a week, she will be one of 4 children on this program.
this is as well as the pre maths program which we had already discussed.
I have to say I am quite impressed with how quickly they have put this stuff in place.
she will be on the special needs register on school action and will get an IEP(?), they said either the class teacher, senco or other special needs person will try and have a discussion with me weekly to see how things are going.
They did say to go tlo GP regarding dsypraxia.

All sounds very good.

This is a very good start.

Do go to your GP. And don't worry. School are doing what they should be. You know her problems are mild, because she's got to this age without you worrying about her.

So don't read all the dyspraxia stuff and panic. It varies from very severe to very mild.

This sounds like a really good response from the school and its fantastic that they are keeping you well informed as well.

Good luck with the GP appointment.

Check with your local PCT as to Occupational therapists (OT). Many PCTs allow you to self refer to OT. There is usually a huge waiting list. Definitely go to your GP and ask for referral to a paediatrician, but it is unlikely that the paediatrician would diagnose without input from OT/ Physiotherapist.
Ditto indigo re not panicking - I have 2 adult friends dx with dyspraxia, 1 in marketing, the other a science teacher. My DS is also dyspraxic and i see a bright future for him too.