Dyspraxia and OT and physiotherapy, should I tell ds why?

[Amapoleon]

Ds had an ot assessment a few weeks ago and i haven't recieved the report yet but they were hinting at dyspraxia. My husband took a call today saying ds has an appointment for OT and Physio. Just wondering if anybody else is going down this route and what should I expect? Also would you tell your child why they are going. At the moment ds hasn't questioned it. I think he thinks everyones doing it, as here all kids at 5 have their eyes tested are weighed and measured etc.

I did tell DS that he was "having a check up" as all children his age . However when we got the dx, I did tell him that he had dyspraxia as he was struggling with being told that he was naughty and was visibly struggling with PE/dressing/sitting still etc at school. It was good for his own self-esteem to know.

Only you know whether he could cope with a dx. I used this book to explain it to him.

Thanks Ben, how old was your ds when you told him? At the moment I don't think he needs to now, he has a lovely teacher who is very patient with him. He's not getting in trouble but im worried as time goes on his difficulties will become more apparent. I'll definitely buy some of the books recommended to help us both.

He was 5.9 years old when I told him and went in to see his teacher and said "see, I told you so" .

This is a great book for you. If he has sensory issues as they often come along with dyspraxia, there are other great books around like this or this.

I think DS was 7 ish when I told him - and then he went on the dyspraxia foundation website. He said that things made so much more sense to him. It also helps that there are some notable celebs with dyspraxia - Daniel Radcliffe and Florence from Florence and the Machine.
I think that if you are the 1or 2 in the class that struggles, it makes you feel better knowing that there are 100s more like you and that you are not so different or isolated.
DS was dx at an age where he would not have understood. He had heard the term mentioned, but I waited until he had an understanding of what a dx was.

Thanks, Ben will get reading.
Thanks Auntevil, I didn't realise Daniel Radcliffe has dyspraxia. I think you are right in knowing that there are others who have the same struggles.

Ds is 5.6 but quite young for his age. I am not sure he would really understand yet.

I think , i'll wait for the dx and take it from there.

Yep, I think Daniel Radcliffe's dyspraxia is quite mild, but its the principle. A dx doesn't mean the end of the world, you can achieve great things attitude.

Thanks, i must admit im feeling a bit all over the place. But I'm feeling more positive than I did last week, so i'm getting there slowly hahaha.

Keep posting on here Amapoleon. We're all here to support you with any questions, queries or just a glass of

Amapoleon - we are in a similar position to each other - wanna hold hands? Ds2 is 5 yrs 2 months. Paed diagnosed dyspraxia after school spoke with community nurse re concerns. Had OT assessment last week, took 2 hours and became apparent that there's a lot of sensory stuff going on. I have told DS that we saw Rachel as she's going to help us with some things he finds tricky, and that Rachel is going to come and watch him at school. DS has other medical appointments and likes to know which hospital we are going to and why, so not saying that an explanation is right for everyone, but it was right for us.

Next stop for us is an appointment in June at Colchester CPOC where they also deal with retained reflexes and multi sensory integration.

And stick around here, I've had loads of great advice and support from the other mums.

Thanks for the wine and hand holding hahaha a few tissues wold be useful too! i think the thing for me is that I have had little niggles but always managed to explain them away. I think seeing ds during his assessment made me face up to a lot and it was a huge shock. I'm not quite sure what they are going to do at our next appointment.

I feel a bit out of control. I dont live in the uk, so I dont think there is much on offer other than what is already here.

The assessments and questionnaires are so hard aren't they. The 2 hour occ therapy the other day felt like someone repeatedly slapping me round the face and shouting 'look what weird thing he is doing now'. When it's day to day life it's easier to ignore or just get on with it - when I am filling out a questionnaire stating my 5 year old likes to lick cars it feels a lot more real.

Definitely try and get the books that were linked to. I found out of sync child really useful.

Exactly how I felt!