How do I get my son checked for dysbaxia?

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Hi

How do I get my son referred to a Paed and OT? We have only recently started to think that DS has dysbraxia. I had him tested on Saturday for Dyslexia and they think he might have mild dyslexia, we need to go back in three months. We have been given blue glasses for DS to wear and told to give him Omega 3. They think he has Dysbraxia, but can't diagnose so said I should contact GP to get referral to OT, Paeditrian. Can you advise what process is and whether GP will refer. My son only just learnt to ride a bike this year, he is 8 years and 5 months. Has always been clumsy and his writing is not great. Dyslexia test showed that he has problems with his memory processing and this would make sense, he can't write a story that makes sense and doesn't use punctuation. He loves sport but is not great. He plays sport everyday after school, especially loves football. My son was born with a cleft lip and palate and had speech therapy when he was younger. His speech still doesn't sound as clear as other children although the ENT signed him off last year. Any advice of where to start and what to do to get help for my sonw oudl be much appreciated. What help can be given to children for academic, school work. He is 1 year behind in his reading and spelling - Dyslexia test showed.

Many thanks

See your GP and ask for him to be referred. It can take a while.

In the meantime, read up about dyspraxia and start helping him at home. A lot of things can be overcome by strenthening the core and retraining the brain. Some of the things we have done with DS include swimming & judo to strengthen the core (has REALLY improved his balance, play games such as who can stand on one leg the longest or hop across a room (keep it fun and let him win/make it close!). caring cutlery and a step for his feet at mealtimes and learning new tasks backwards.

The backwards thing is really good for confidence. For example, with shoelaces, do it all up until the very last bit and let DS do that. He will then feel a sense of achievement and want to try again rather than letting him go from the start and feeling like a failure if he doesn't do it. Once he has mastered the last step, you let him do the last 2 and so on. DS still can't coordinate looping the lace around and putting through the hole so we are still at the pulling the loops tight (he still feels like he has tied his laces!).

One thing that really helped me was understanding that the simplest things can be really tiring for a dyspraxic and when they are tired coordination goes out of the window. I used to get really frustrated when DS "couldn't" take off his own jumper at the end of the day or put on socks as he had done it times and times before but now I understand that he wasn't just being lazy but was really struggling.

Sorry for the essay - hope it helps!

Thanks for the advice Towicymru. DS has been having swimming lessons since he was about 3 years but had to stop for 4 months this year because of recurrent ear infections. He has just returned to swimming in September. DS also started Judo about a year ago so I guess I was helping him already, without realising ;) The lady who tested DS for dyslexia said that when she read some five digit numbers to him, he could not repeat the numbers in the correct sequence. I guess this is linked to memory processing. Have you any advice on things I can do to help with this. Worried about his schoolwork and not keeping up. I am thinking about getting a tutor but don't want to overwhelm my DS.

Many thanks

I agree the way forward is to get the GP to refer you to an occupational therapist.

Unclear speech could be a sign of verbal dyspraxia, where the muscles of the mouth don't work as they should. My DS had this mildly and had some very strange ways of pronouncing things because he couldn't physically for the shapes in his mouth to form the words. He was referred by the GP to what they called a patch team here and after being seen by the paediatrician was referred on to ENT for a hearing test, the SALT, OT and a clinical psychologist. The SALT saw him a few times and set exercises to do with him that he did every day at school with a TA. It worked in the end. Like a lot of things with dyspraxia, the children do pick it up in the end but whereas an average child might take for example 5 attempts to learn a new skill a dyspraxic child could take many, many more , it isn't a quick fix.

The other thing about dyspraxia is that it isn't just a motor skills thing, it is also related to organisation and interpersonal skills and sensory processing. My DS was OK in the infants when children weren't so complicated and games were just running around and being daft but when games and conversations got more complex, when he had to have a better understanding of other people, of his relationship to physical spaces, when they physically developed skills faster than he did, he started to lose friends.

It is worth investing in a good book about the subject or looking at the Dyspraxia Foundation website here.

I have this book which is very factual and covers all the symptoms and has ways of helping.

I also have this one It is aimed as teenage children with dyspraxia but I read it when my DS was about 8 or 9 and I found it reassuring that most of the difficulties could be overcome with help and practice and it just helped me feel like it wasn't the end of the world that DS had this condition. It was written by a 16 girl with the condition and it was good to read what it feels like from the child's perspective.

Thanks for the information. I have a some reading to do!