could this be dyspaxia???

[rummum]

Help

My 9 year old daughter had an ABC assesment done today at our local Child Development Unit by a pediatrition. This was apparently done to see if she needed to see an Occupational Therapist.. she scored 15% on the catching/balance test and only 5% on her fine motor skills test, she would only get refered if she got 1% or under... so basicaly anyone has to really struggle/fail before they get any help.. obviously she didn't fail enough.

The school have told me for years that daughter struggles,
daughter has trouble:
following a list of instructions
concentrating
forgets thing learnt from one week to the next
can't copy from the board
over a year behind with her spellings
no mental maths ability
no organisation skills,
these werent'all said in the same day.. I hasten to add!
Daughter also has no tripod grip and this causes her arm to ache whilst writing.. she does use an alpha smart now and is learning to touch type.

Daughter has trouble standing for a long period of time.. her legs ache.. The doctor today said
she had Lax Muscles and may grow out of it!..
Daughter dribbles (wee's) daily and the doctor told her to go to the toilet more often!

There are loads more things I could add.

Could she have dyspraxia or dyspraxic tendences?

What do I do now... The doctor is going to write to let me know her recomendations... but she didn't touch the problems that daughter has in the classroom..

maybe I have munchausen by proxy and need my head examined, maybe all 9 year olds have these problems.

Thanks if you've read this far

i'll reply tomorrow.... i have a great book called Dyspraxia- the Hidden handicap....find it here

Thanks TheRealMrsF... I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow...

bump....

I know very little about dyspraxia but it doesn't sound to me as though you're imagining it etc. Hopefully someone else will be able to help.

My DS only just managed to get on the 5th percentile so is in the definate difficulty band group, this were different tests though done by OT and Physio

He has deffo got DYSPRAXIA but we didn't need to fight for treatment cos he went from one dept to the next

He was referred in the first place because of a problem with his left knee by GP to paed consult.

He also has Hyper mobility which is the biggest prob in his knees

So I am not really sure what to suggest for your DD

just keep fighting I guess

Sounds very similar to my ds who does have dyspraxia. Was your daughter a late walker? In addition to those problems you listed above, (apart from the dribbly wee!)my ds still can't ride a bike, learnt to skip late, his balance is dreadful, he gets really sore hands when writing etc. He also has some emotional/social issues.

I have to go and do bathtime now, but will come back later!

The one thing I have learnt is that DYSPRAXIA is a very varied thing and soooooooo loads of people have loads of different probs

MY DS is 10

what problems was he getting with his knee RTKangaMummy?

Oh it is very long story, but will shorten it as much as I can cos you will fall asleep otherwise.

While we were on RTW trip in 2002 he got bitten at the back of his knee

he couldn't walk then when we came back went to GP he then referred him to paed

his hypermobilty was DX and then was refered to physio who then sent him to OT

and then I asked her what they were still investigating and was told DYSPRAXIA

We had put all of his probs down to being sooooo prem @ 27 weeks and being ventilated etc. on oxygen for 3 months in NNU ITU etc.

His knee is very very very hypermobile and as he walks or stands the leg bends backwards

IYSWIM so each time he puts his leg down the knee joint moves in itself

bump...

Ok... this is my last bump...
has anyone got any advice for me..
or I will think its me, and get some help for myself

My 10 year old has Aspergers and was diagnosed as having Dyspraxia when he was 6, he has ALWAYS scored below 1st centile on ABC tests and yet they still refuse to statement him!!

We are fighting for this again right now.
He has OT, Physio, sees specialist paediatricians and is now on medication (for AS symptoms)
So keep fighting.

What about her developemental history, how was she with her fine and gross motor skills whilst a baby and toddler ? eg jumping, pedalling a trike, using scissors My DD has a diagnosis of dyspraxia and has had OT and physio. I don't think she was in the bottom 1%, slightly higher than that. She also has hypermobility and low muscle tone and gets aching legs. Toilet training has been really difficult.

Agree with RTKM that dyspraxia has many indications and no all children have the same combination of issues. However these in themselves are not a diagnosis as such. By the sounds of it your dd has a number of dyspraxic traits which, if my ds' experience is anything to go by, can be helped by OT. Whether that is available on the NHS I'm not sure (we are in the process of being referred by GP for assessment having just returned from living abroad) or perhaps it would fall within the remit of the school's SENCO.

Well, I didn't see this as I moved house on Friday...so don't take it personally rummum. Yes, it sounds as if it could be dyspraxia to me. My son is nearly four and we have been told he is dyspraxic - he has low muscle tone, is behind in running, jumping, dressing and undressing, using a bike all those sorts of things. Also following complex instructions and he gets very tired when he walks anywhere (takes FOREVER!). Plus other issues. SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of dyspraxia can include:

• Not feeding properly, are irritable and sleep badly
• May be late in reaching milestones such as sitting, crawling (many never crawl) standing, walking, hopping, jumping
• Poor writing/drawing abilities
• Poor short term memory, often forgetting tasks learned the day before
• Short attention span
• Difficulties in throwing or catching a ball
• Inability to sit still
• Disorganised (difficulty in planning activities)
• Obsessive behaviour
• Frequently falls or bumps into things
• Messy eater, spills things
• Difficulty/slowness in dressing, tying shoes
• Speech problems

There are several books I can recommend, including Developmental Dyspraxia by Madeleine Portwood, and these websites may also be useful.
The Dyspraxia Foundation have a good website.

Well, I didn't see this as I moved house on Friday...so don't take it personally rummum. Yes, it sounds as if it could be dyspraxia to me. My son is nearly four and we have been told he is dyspraxic - he has low muscle tone, is behind in running, jumping, dressing and undressing, using a bike all those sorts of things. Also following complex instructions and he gets very tired when he walks anywhere (takes FOREVER!). Plus other issues. SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of dyspraxia can include:

• Not feeding properly, are irritable and sleep badly
• May be late in reaching milestones such as sitting, crawling (many never crawl) standing, walking, hopping, jumping
• Poor writing/drawing abilities
• Poor short term memory, often forgetting tasks learned the day before
• Short attention span
• Difficulties in throwing or catching a ball
• Inability to sit still
• Disorganised (difficulty in planning activities)
• Obsessive behaviour
• Frequently falls or bumps into things
• Messy eater, spills things
• Difficulty/slowness in dressing, tying shoes
• Speech problems

There are several books I can recommend, including Developmental Dyspraxia by Madeleine Portwood, and these websites may also be useful.
The Dyspraxia Foundation have a good website.

Nobody bothered assessing whether ds was in the bottom 1% or 10% or anything - they just looked at him as a person and you can see that he is behind his peers physically. He is intellectually a very bright child so the gulf between his abilities is pretty noticeable.

i took ds for food testing hte other day because he becomes impacted frequently and very constipated at best. In order to food test using kinesiology he had to be "balanced" first. At the very outset the practitioner does some basic leftbrain-rightbrain exercises and ds couldnt even stand on one foot and is completely unco-ordinated. She was quite shocked at how bad he is and mentioned dyspraxia. He cant ride a bike and although his school think his speech isnt a problem, I do. Im not sure whether to mention this to his hospital consultant when I next see him.

jampots, I'd mention it if only to get in the system to monitor it. How old is he ?

nearly 9!

In that case I think you should definitely mention it. Does it affect his behaviour and success at school and have they raised it with you already ?

when i spoke to the special needs co-ordinator at school because I generally felt something wasnt quite right, she spoke with his teacher who when prompted decided that he may be a bit immature. No one else seems bothered by his speech only to say he does speak quickly. He is one of hte gentle children in his class and his teacher felt that if she's ever had to tell him off (ie. for chatting) he looks terrified. I would say his handwriting is messy and his school drawings are quick and childish but when he takes his time and copies a picture it is absolutely excellent.

That sounds exactly the scenario we feared for ds - that he would cope and behave well enough in class not to be a particular problem but we'd know things weren't right and he'd become frustrated. Does he get a new teacher next term who you could ask to monitor him with the SENCO ?

he's moving schools from Sept so a whole new ball game. He is under a consultant for his constipation and he appears to be the gateway to any department. He already knows I was planning to look at alternative treatment because its just no good farming laxatives down his throat indefinitely.