Dyspraxia - any experiences?

[TuttiFrutti]

I stongly suspect ds has dyspraxia. He is 3 and a half and has all the classic signs: late walker, never crawled, poor coordination, muddled speech.

Does anyone have a dyspraxic child, and if so how did you get a diagnosis? Are you folloiwng any exercises/physio to help your child, and have you found it has made a difference?

I would just like to know where to go from here. Is it just something you have to learn to live with (and I appreciate it's not the end of the world!) or are there things you can do help your child develop?

I have dyspraxia and so does my ds.........The Dyspraxia Foundation are very helpful as is the Dyscovery Centre.
My ds is at a residential deaf school and has occupational therapy speech and language therapy and physiotherapy weekly.
dyscovery.newport.ac.uk/dyscovery/index.aspx
www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/

DD was diagnosed in the last few months and she is nearly 7. We got referred to an OT by school as it was increasingly obvious that she was having problems. Both at home and at school we've been doing 2 hourly exercises that were recommended by the OT and I am amazed by the difference. Fewer emotional episodes, a calmer child and stuff like spacing for her writing is already showing an improvement so I am hopeful that things will get better for her. She might even ride a bike one day! You could ask your GP for a referral to the OT or developmental paed.

My DD started the assessment process when she was just over 5 in reception. Took a bit of time to get a diagnosis but she did.

She attended our local co-ordination clinic where they have OTs and physios to work with you, she had several of courses there as different things become an issue as they grow older. We paid for some private SALT as that was also an issue.

She has had a lot of support in her first school, someone to scribe for her in class, one on one with the SENCO. She's just transferred to Middle school which has been a much smoother transition than expected. She copes pretty well having to organise herself and her bag to go round to different class rooms etc. Socially she is doing very well now compared to a rocky start at First school, I was always very hot on asking for help with this as I think it is very important. She now goes to a handwriting club and a motor skills club (which she loves, learning cross stitch, making figures with icing etc) but apart from that doesn't need any further help. She even now is starting to enjoy some sports which is huge progress, bit worried about anyone near her when she is wielding a hockey stick but there you go !

If her handwriting doesn't improve I can see her having to use a lap top but she is hugely improved now compared to when she was younger. I have always tried to make things as easy as possible for her eg. velcro, easy to open lunch boxes etc, but at the same time won't take any excuses for not giving something a go.

Whatreally, DD cracked bike riding last summer when she was 9. Unfortunately her younger brother mastered it about 2 weeks older and he is 5 years younger, but she was still very very pleased with herself. Top tip is to get them to put a rucksack on their back and hold onto the top of that(hers has a handle). That way apparently they learn to correct themselves much better than if you hold onto the saddle.

My ds is profoundly deaf as well as dyspraxic....he managed with lots of help from school to ride his bike last summer.... one of the main highlights of his 12 years!!

DS2 has bog standard motor Dyspraxia - very poor co-ordination and balance, very poor fine and gross motor skills. Speech is clear as a bell, although he takes a long time to "find" his words. Very poor social skills with some AS traits.

DS3 has Verbal Dyspraxia - is statemented with daily speech therapy provision at school. He is very well co-ordinated and has no motor skills or social issues, but until last year (he's 6) was mostly unintelligible.

Re diagnosis - with DS2 he was referred via the GP, following school's concerns, to Occupational Therapists. They can deliver programmes to improve motor skills - only really works with constant repetition and reinforcement. Then he saw an Ed Psych via school, who referred him on to the Community Paediatrician, who gave us the diagnosis. This took at least 18 months.

Yes, you just have to learn to live with it but you also learn coping strategies. DS2 (10) has the handwriting of a 4 year old, but has been taught to touch type. He can now (just) ride a bike, and after about half an hour can tie a shoelace He's doing well at school and is happy. DS3 will always have slightly odd, disordered speech but he is intelligible (unless tired or stressed) and can make all the consonant sounds.

The main problem I've found is getting the DCs to do the exercises etc at home after a long tiring say at school - it's very easy to just leave it.

Wow thought bike riding was impossible so chocolate teapot thanks for the tip. Don't know why I'm so fixated on the bike riding. You'd have thought I'd be more hassled about the handwriting

Thanks for all your messages.

It's really helpful to know how you've all coped, and just to know other people have gone through the same thing.

Interesting to see how varied the condition can be.

Just a thought. My daughter (now 16 and in top 2% of whole school academically) was tested for dyspraxia at 7. She had all the symptoms yet verbally she was so articulate. Her writing was very poor and co-ordination was extremely bad. The teachers,although concerned seemed to write her off. I however told them that I didn't believe this was the case and that it was something else. I breed horses and noticed that some of the foals who grew quite quickly seemed to be very ungainly and lacking in any co-ordination. Looking at my child -I realized she was the same,she had grown both outwardly and upwardly very quickly (i did the same and couldn't ride a bike till I was 12! Or read the time for that matter). If a child cannot adjust to it's growth isn't it possible that this could affect balance and co-ordination and even writing. She still has awful handwriting and breaks almost anything made of China or glass but is going to train as a pathologist and has just got an A* in her Science exams.

That's a really interesting perspective Neddie.

Ds is big for his age, about a head taller than other boys the same age. So the idea that he has grown too quickly for him to adjust to his growth does make some sense.

Also, several people have told me they think he is very bright. He could count to ten and recognise all the written numbers before his second birthday. Sometimes I can't reconcile this with his muddled speech (getting words round the wrong way) and physical slowness, which can make him look stupid, but I think you may have something in your theory.

Have faith in your child- Keep encouraging him to do thing using his hand/eye co-ordination. Just make sure the teachers understand that this may be part of his problem. I am not a doctor or have any practical skills in medicen etc but I know an awful lot about growing animals. We are animals after all. It is logical that if the body is concentrating on growing the physical side of your child- it might not keep up with getting the co-ordination correct.Imagine you went to bed and had grown overnight-you would be clumsy too. It could affect other things like hearing and speech as we are a whole being and not disconnected parts. Hope this has given you some comfort.

my DS's diagnosis of DCD (developmental coordination disorder)came about after it was noticed by nursery staff that he shakes concentrating on tasks that require hand eye coordination, and they told me to take him to our GP, who in turn referred him to paediatric consultant. Now he is diagnosed, we are waiting to hear from OT. he is 4 and 2 months.

DS is super tall too, and bright, and i thought he was just a bit giddy, like me... a bit...dyspraxic! i was ur-diagnosed in my early 20's, my dad also has it... so in answer to one of your questions, yes, it is something you just have to learn to live with- my dad is very very successful in his field if a little 'maverick', and the same could be said for me. because i had to work harder at some things than other children, i became a bit obsessive over them, and i can see my son developing the same eye for aesthetic detail. i think i can speak for my father, though, when i say we would both have appreciated knowing what it was that was different when we were children.

the main concern over DS by all professionals involved is that at present he is an happy, confident and articulate lad, when he gets muddled up he just laughs it off-i encourage this- and the fear is that various knocks to his confidence by his differences in ability are going to affect his self esteem, and therefore his sociability. he already backs away from things he doesn't feel he can do like drawing or writing, so i am spending lots of one on one time encouraging him to make marks, with limited success at the moment, but it's early days. one thing i can get him excited about is 'catch'- even if he (and me, if i'm honest)can't actually 'catch' the ball half the time!

i'm sure the OT will make a big difference, but mainly i'm happy about the diagnosis (after getting over the slight shock that my child isn't entirely perfect, but who is, and wouldn't it be boring if they were) because, hopefully, it will ensure he'll betreated with a bit more tolerance and patience than i was as a child. i hope it does not mean that anyone writes him off, or that he doesn't learn to apply himself to things he finds hard.

in short, talk to your GP or HV. my GP was pretty dismissive at first, asking lots of vague questions about 'well, what is normal', and it was really conviction of the nursery staff that something was really up ( i'm probably normalised to coordination problems by having them myself) that drove the referral. i think its up to you, depending upon what you perceive extent of his difficulties to be, whether or not you think the diagnosis and the outside support will be helpful, or that putting a label on this is going to be more of a hindrance to his learning to cope with this effectively. i can see both sides of the argument.

ds1 is tall too, and I'm sure it doesn't help with his general clumsiness but I don't really believe that is linked to dyspraxia.

ds1 was tested on a battery for dyspraxia bt an OT and scored less than 1st percentile for motor control. He was then dx by his paed. THe OT told me that with dyspraxia the motor control messages just don't get through from the brain to the limbs correctly, and a proper battery can measure the motor control rather than just looking at clumsiness and co-ordination.

He had very delayed speech and physical milestones. He shows many asd type traits, on his dx it also states social and communication difficulties, but I think a lot of that is down to the dyspraxia. He is emotional, unpredictable, sometimes violent, sleepless, generally quite hard work!

I guess it depends on severity but for ds, he couldn't jsut learn to live with it, because it affects so many different aspects of his everyday life. He is supposed to do OT exercises, but I find it hard to keep on top of them, he is under an OT. I also started swimming lessons recently, and I'm trying to find him a gym class. I've found it very hard though finding any groups that will include a child with disabilities though.

I'd def get your ds seen and assessed if youy are concerned, because waiting lists for therapies can take years, so it's best to get the ball rolling early if need be.

ChopsTheDuck

What you said about your DS rang bells!

He had very delayed speech and physical milestones. He shows many asd type traits, on his dx it also states social and communication difficulties, but I think a lot of that is down to the dyspraxia. He is emotional, unpredictable, sometimes violent, sleepless, generally quite hard work!

My DS is 4 and he has all the above!
He has been officially diagnosed with delayed speech and delayed development but they haven't actually said he has got Dyspraxia!

His speech is unclear....very baby-like and he only has a very limited vocab.

He is also having problems at pre-school as he is finding it hard to make friends. In fact this week he has told me every night that 'me not happy' and that he doesn't want to go to school. He has always loved school, he did up until his best friend ( a boy with autism ) left in January.

Now he is crying at school most days and is generally very emotional.....

Anyone had this sort of problem? How do you deal with it when the child cannot communicate what exactly is troubling them and when the teachers are just trying to highlight the positive all the time rather than be transparent about the obvious problem!

dungungirl, I really sympathise but I don't really have any answers.

ds1 can't and won't talk about things that are bothering him at all. We have to try and find out by clues, matching up times when he seems more aggravated, or overloaded, and piece it all together. I've given up trying to push him to talk, because it just aggravates him more. I think as they get older though, you do get wise to the sorts of things that do set them off. Ds1's teacher left recently for maternity leave and he's been a nightmare since the replacement started.

Often I find that the best thing for him is the space to deal with it himself. Usually that means somewhere dark and quiet! Is there anything your son does to unwind? ds1 likes to jsut sit quietly and shut off.

Another thing I do have to be careful of is that he doesn't get too tired, or he will end up bursting into tears all the time, or losing his temper.

The school should be helping him more socially. Ask the teacher who he does seem interested in, and invite some playdates over.

have 11yr old son diagnosed with Dyspraxia. he had all the symptoms described in first post.we went to comm. paed. who referred us onto OT.the OT exercises do make a difference, but need to be repeated over and over. our sons OT has been into school, and given teacher hints on what can make life easier for him.we also try to ease things, by using velcro trainers(what a great invention)and helping him organise his school bag the night before. he cannot ride a bike, but at present, hes not bothered, so neither are we-will cross that bridge when we come to it.he does get tired easily, and this affects his behaviour and moods BIG style.i would say to anyone if concerned, seek advice, cos you do NOT grow out of dyspraxia-its a nuero developmental disorder- but obviously, you learn coping mechanisms as you enter into adulthood. not sure re growth theory and given aboves daughter still has poor hand writing, and breaks things really easily, i would say, shes still showing symptoms of Dyspraxia-probably so is her mum given lateness of riding bike-i know i am not the best coordinated person in the world.my son is relatively bright and is very articulate, but is severely impaired in other ways by his Dyspraxia. (sorry, but also have other son with ADHD,and so many people have theories re this also neuro developmental disorder, that sometimes, i want to SCREAM.Daily Mail take note...)