Diagnosis Coming

Next week James has a new appointment at the Childrens Development Center. It's a follow up to the Griffiths Test in which some of his results came back incredibly low. For some motor skills he is way down in the 1st percentile.

With his poor physical skills and delayed speech which started off all the concerns I am just waiting to be given an official diagnosis.

From what I've read in recent days and weeks, I am very much expecting him to be diagnosed with Dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia is a learning difficulty in which a person finds Co-ordination and movement skills difficult. Whilst most of us have no trouble doing regular things, the brain doesn't quite get the message it needs when someone suffers from Dyspraxia.

I've repeatedly looked through the symptoms and have no doubt in my mind that this may be where we are heading in future appointments.

He has so many of the tell tale traits it's unbelievable. As well as delayed speech the common "symptoms" include:

Movement and co-ordination

If your child has dyspraxia, they will have problems with movement and co-ordination. They may find the following difficult:

• playground activities such as hopping, jumping, running, and catching or kicking a ball (they often avoid joining in because of their lack of co-ordination and may be at risk of becoming unfit)
• games including shape-sorter toys, building blocks and jigsaw. (He's good at Lego as he persists but that is all)
• using scissors and colouring pens (their drawings may appear scribbled and more childish than they should be for their age)
• fine movements such as handwriting, tying shoelaces, doing up buttons and using a knife and fork
• keeping still (they may swing or move their arms and legs a lot and find it hard to sit still)
• walking up and down stairs
• getting dressed  (He often puts them on back to front and struggles with buttons)

Concentration and learning

If your child has dyspraxia, they will have difficulty concentrating and learning. They may:

• do better at school in a one-to-one situation than in a group, as they are able to be guided through work
• have a poor attention span, finding it difficult to concentrate on one thing for more than a few minutes
• not automatically pick up new skills and need encouragement and repetition to help them learn
• have problems with writing stories and copying from the blackboard

These problems can be upsetting for the child.

Persistent problems

As your child gets older, these problems may start to have a different effect on them. For example, problems with muscle movement may mean they:

• find PE (physical education) difficult
• cannot take part in team games, which may have an effect how well they make friends
• may be bullied for being ‘different’ or clumsy
• may avoid certain activities or subjects, such as drawing
• are more tired, as they have to use more energy than other children to complete the same activities 

Your child may also have low self-esteem (the way they feel about themselves) as a result of these problems. 

All of this are James' difficulties in written form.

We are making progress though. The school and I are working through some activities that will help him gain strength and confidence. Today I have bought a load of different sized pencils so he can practice his grip and control and a "colour and trace" book. So he gets to colour and practice staying in the lines then he can trace other pictures and words to get the hands to work in the right way. I get James to help with cooking. I make him use the whisk and chop fruit. We play snap so he gets used to turning over thin cards. Last week we went to the seaside and he got to play on the 2p slot machines. Again controlling small things and getting them into a small space to work.

I'm encouraging the jumping along the path, splashing in puddles at the weekend.

Repetition does seem to be the theme of the household.

Because James has the signs of this, I do feel that's why Liams nursery teachers are so pushy about him getting seen too. I don't think Liam has half the problems James does. I think they are looking too far into it.

Kids with Dyspraxia become adults with dyspraxia. He just needs that extra bit of help to get him to a better level and to help his confidence and strength.

We've just applied to be put on the waiting list for Occupational Therapy. They will help him get through the things he has difficulty with. They'll be able to assess him more and give him the help he needs.

I'm ok with all this. I just want to be able to HELP him myself. As I've said to the school and the Paeditrician at the CDC, I want to help but understand that I can't do everything for him. There's a difference between helping and encouraging him to dress and dressing him. It's something he needs to learn for himself.

So maybe next week, we'll know a little bit more. Dad's off on that trip this time so it may be a case of waiting for the next set of reports before I can say too much more.