Dyspraxia

[Anonymous]

My 4 yr old's Occupational therapist mentioned today she's suspecting dyspraxia. Im not going to jump the gun and freak out yet. But parents of kids who have received this news, is this really bad? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel or is this going to be a very hard lifelong struggle? I dont know much about dyspraxia at all and Im not going to go crazy googling just yet until he has his re-evaluation and until he sees a dev ped. I know OTs cant diagnose so Ill need to take her perspective to a dev ped to see what they think.

[Anonymous]

Light at the end of the tunnel? Tad dramatic. Good grief, she didn't say he had an incurable disease.

Stop googling. Wait until the developmental pediatric visit. And the reality is that regardless of the diagnosis, treatment for many things will be the same.

So basically, if it's something that a kid doesn't "grow out of," you work on developing coping/compensating skills. Stay strong, OP.

[Anonymous]

A child with dyspraxia will always have it. With the right therapies they will learn how to compensate and it will just be his normal. Chances are a child with dyspraxia isn't going to make the Olympics or get a football scholarship and riding a bike will take a long time to learn. But beyond that, no one can tell you because there's a lot of variability.

However a child with one neurological issue are at risk of having others, so be sure to watch for apraxia of speech, ADHD or ASD. That's what the developmental pediatrician is for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A child with dyspraxia will always have it. With the right therapies they will learn how to compensate and it will just be his normal. Chances are a child with dyspraxia isn't going to make the Olympics or get a football scholarship and riding a bike will take a long time to learn. But beyond that, no one can tell you because there's a lot of variability.

However a child with one neurological issue are at risk of having others, so be sure to watch for apraxia of speech, ADHD or ASD. That's what the developmental pediatrician is for.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Light at the end of the tunnel? Tad dramatic. Good grief, she didn't say he had an incurable disease.

Stop googling. Wait until the developmental pediatric visit. And the reality is that regardless of the diagnosis, treatment for many things will be the same.

So basically, if it's something that a kid doesn't "grow out of," you work on developing coping/compensating skills. Stay strong, OP.

Didnt mean to sound dramatic. I think "light at the end of the tunnel" kind of questions must be a fairly common question when people are first learning their young child has some kind of developmental or neurological issue going on. Who knows, maybe not. Anyway thanks for reminding me to stay strong - def have to do that!

[Anonymous]

For us the diagnosis was helpful. It helped us chart a path for therapies. In our case it became very obvious that it was dyspraxia. To have the diagnosis was a bit of a relief. To know is better than to be wandering in the dark trying to figure out what is next. Stay positive and see what the dev ped says. In the meantime keep on with the ,OT or other therapies you are doing. Sending positive thoughts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A child with dyspraxia will always have it. With the right therapies they will learn how to compensate and it will just be his normal. Chances are a child with dyspraxia isn't going to make the Olympics or get a football scholarship and riding a bike will take a long time to learn. But beyond that, no one can tell you because there's a lot of variability.

However a child with one neurological issue are at risk of having others, so be sure to watch for apraxia of speech, ADHD or ASD. That's what the developmental pediatrician is for.

+1

My son has dyspraxia and ADD (inattentive) as well as executive function challenges. The dyspraxia was identified when he was about 10 years old and although prior to that he had some handwriting challenges, nothing else had seemed "off." At the time, I didn't know that one neurological risk usually comes with others. He was dx'd at 15 with ADD and EF issues.

Anyway, he had OT for the handwriting, worked with an organizational coach on schoolwork, and developed a number of strategies to compensate for his difficulties. He did well in high school - not stellar, but very well - and is now flourishing at a well-regarded small liberal arts college. We focused our college search on small schools with small classes and lots of support (tutoring and writing center resources, mandatory professor office hours). He loves college and is earning excellent grades.

OP, keep an eye on it, put some supports in place, and it will be fine. Really it will.

[Anonymous]

Don't despair! My son was diagnosed with suspected CAS and dyspraxia at 2, confirmed at 3. He did intensive speech and OT for years. It was immensely helpful. DH insisted on putting him in sports which I discouraged after several failed attempts at gymnastic classes. However, his OT worked on basic sports skills with him in weekly sessions and DH worked with him daily. I thought DH was in denial but he couldn't be dissuaded and DS seemed to enjoy the attention and was eager to play with his big brother. By 5 he was playing soccer and baseball with his peers. Not good, but playing. By 7 he was actually good. At 8 he is a strong athlete. I never thought it would be possible. His fine motor is still a bit behind but it's not terrible.

Oh and his speech is resolved too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A child with dyspraxia will always have it. With the right therapies they will learn how to compensate and it will just be his normal. Chances are a child with dyspraxia isn't going to make the Olympics or get a football scholarship and riding a bike will take a long time to learn. But beyond that, no one can tell you because there's a lot of variability.

However a child with one neurological issue are at risk of having others, so be sure to watch for apraxia of speech, ADHD or ASD. That's what the developmental pediatrician is for.

+1

My son has dyspraxia and ADD (inattentive) as well as executive function challenges. The dyspraxia was identified when he was about 10 years old and although prior to that he had some handwriting challenges, nothing else had seemed "off." At the time, I didn't know that one neurological risk usually comes with others. He was dx'd at 15 with ADD and EF issues.

Anyway, he had OT for the handwriting, worked with an organizational coach on schoolwork, and developed a number of strategies to compensate for his difficulties. He did well in high school - not stellar, but very well - and is now flourishing at a well-regarded small liberal arts college. We focused our college search on small schools with small classes and lots of support (tutoring and writing center resources, mandatory professor office hours). He loves college and is earning excellent grades.

OP, keep an eye on it, put some supports in place, and it will be fine. Really it will.

To the PP - this sounds a lot like my DD's struggles. She is 14 and with starting high school this year, it is apparent she needs more help. Could you share more about your son's challenges and what worked? Did he have a 504 plan? How did the school /teachers help?
Your college search sounds like the path we will need to steer DD on. How did you find schools that would offer lots of support?

TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A child with dyspraxia will always have it. With the right therapies they will learn how to compensate and it will just be his normal. Chances are a child with dyspraxia isn't going to make the Olympics or get a football scholarship and riding a bike will take a long time to learn. But beyond that, no one can tell you because there's a lot of variability.

However a child with one neurological issue are at risk of having others, so be sure to watch for apraxia of speech, ADHD or ASD. That's what the developmental pediatrician is for.

+1

My son has dyspraxia and ADD (inattentive) as well as executive function challenges. The dyspraxia was identified when he was about 10 years old and although prior to that he had some handwriting challenges, nothing else had seemed "off." At the time, I didn't know that one neurological risk usually comes with others. He was dx'd at 15 with ADD and EF issues.

Anyway, he had OT for the handwriting, worked with an organizational coach on schoolwork, and developed a number of strategies to compensate for his difficulties. He did well in high school - not stellar, but very well - and is now flourishing at a well-regarded small liberal arts college. We focused our college search on small schools with small classes and lots of support (tutoring and writing center resources, mandatory professor office hours). He loves college and is earning excellent grades.

OP, keep an eye on it, put some supports in place, and it will be fine. Really it will.

To the PP - this sounds a lot like my DD's struggles. She is 14 and with starting high school this year, it is apparent she needs more help. Could you share more about your son's challenges and what worked? Did he have a 504 plan? How did the school /teachers help?
Your college search sounds like the path we will need to steer DD on. How did you find schools that would offer lots of support?

TIA

Happy to share. Most of his challenges related to organizing his work. He routinely forgot to hand in homework, forgot about assignments, handed in work late or not at all. He struggled with organizing his writing (essays and long papers require planning ahead and organizing your thoughts).

We hired an organization/EF coach who also tutored him in writing. They met once a week for an hour or so, but also did phone checks a few times a week. The coach helped him organize his binders and notebooks so that they were no longer black holes , and had access to Edline, which enabled the coach/tutor to identify and address patterns and issues.

In school, he had a 504 based on testing results. (His ADD and EF issues were identified via testing at Stixrud.). He was able to "preview" teachers' lesson plans, got preferential seating, and was able to hand in assignments and homework electronically, which helped a lot with the forgetting issue.

In college, these "accommodations" are routine, as most work is handed in electronically anyway, and he can sit at the front of the room by choice. Every class has a syllabus. His 504 is not really necessary there, so we didn't file it with the school.

Despite this, the college academic support center has a copy of his Stixrud testing report and has used it to help him organize himself. (This is impressive to me!). He is doing better in college than he did in high school, probably because he has fewer classes and no "homework"/busywork to deal with. His largest class has 18 students in it. The rest, fewer than 12.

We looked at Colleges That Change Lives schools (google it) and paid particular attention to the supports, e.g. tutoring and academic support centers. DC is at one of those. We are so pleased with his school and he is truly thriving.

I hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A child with dyspraxia will always have it. With the right therapies they will learn how to compensate and it will just be his normal. Chances are a child with dyspraxia isn't going to make the Olympics or get a football scholarship and riding a bike will take a long time to learn. But beyond that, no one can tell you because there's a lot of variability.

However a child with one neurological issue are at risk of having others, so be sure to watch for apraxia of speech, ADHD or ASD. That's what the developmental pediatrician is for.

+1

My son has dyspraxia and ADD (inattentive) as well as executive function challenges. The dyspraxia was identified when he was about 10 years old and although prior to that he had some handwriting challenges, nothing else had seemed "off." At the time, I didn't know that one neurological risk usually comes with others. He was dx'd at 15 with ADD and EF issues.

Anyway, he had OT for the handwriting, worked with an organizational coach on schoolwork, and developed a number of strategies to compensate for his difficulties. He did well in high school - not stellar, but very well - and is now flourishing at a well-regarded small liberal arts college. We focused our college search on small schools with small classes and lots of support (tutoring and writing center resources, mandatory professor office hours). He loves college and is earning excellent grades.

OP, keep an eye on it, put some supports in place, and it will be fine. Really it will.

To the PP - this sounds a lot like my DD's struggles. She is 14 and with starting high school this year, it is apparent she needs more help. Could you share more about your son's challenges and what worked? Did he have a 504 plan? How did the school /teachers help?
Your college search sounds like the path we will need to steer DD on. How did you find schools that would offer lots of support?

TIA

Happy to share. Most of his challenges related to organizing his work. He routinely forgot to hand in homework, forgot about assignments, handed in work late or not at all. He struggled with organizing his writing (essays and long papers require planning ahead and organizing your thoughts).

We hired an organization/EF coach who also tutored him in writing. They met once a week for an hour or so, but also did phone checks a few times a week. The coach helped him organize his binders and notebooks so that they were no longer black holes , and had access to Edline, which enabled the coach/tutor to identify and address patterns and issues.

In school, he had a 504 based on testing results. (His ADD and EF issues were identified via testing at Stixrud.). He was able to "preview" teachers' lesson plans, got preferential seating, and was able to hand in assignments and homework electronically, which helped a lot with the forgetting issue.

In college, these "accommodations" are routine, as most work is handed in electronically anyway, and he can sit at the front of the room by choice. Every class has a syllabus. His 504 is not really necessary there, so we didn't file it with the school.

Despite this, the college academic support center has a copy of his Stixrud testing report and has used it to help him organize himself. (This is impressive to me!). He is doing better in college than he did in high school, probably because he has fewer classes and no "homework"/busywork to deal with. His largest class has 18 students in it. The rest, fewer than 12.

We looked at Colleges That Change Lives schools (google it) and paid particular attention to the supports, e.g. tutoring and academic support centers. DC is at one of those. We are so pleased with his school and he is truly thriving.

I hope this helps.

THank you! It's a constant battle to help DD stay organized. She has a hard time figuring out how to initially set up a syatem and then what to discard.
Does it get easier for them/you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A child with dyspraxia will always have it. With the right therapies they will learn how to compensate and it will just be his normal. Chances are a child with dyspraxia isn't going to make the Olympics or get a football scholarship and riding a bike will take a long time to learn. But beyond that, no one can tell you because there's a lot of variability.

However a child with one neurological issue are at risk of having others, so be sure to watch for apraxia of speech, ADHD or ASD. That's what the developmental pediatrician is for.

+1

My son has dyspraxia and ADD (inattentive) as well as executive function challenges. The dyspraxia was identified when he was about 10 years old and although prior to that he had some handwriting challenges, nothing else had seemed "off." At the time, I didn't know that one neurological risk usually comes with others. He was dx'd at 15 with ADD and EF issues.

Anyway, he had OT for the handwriting, worked with an organizational coach on schoolwork, and developed a number of strategies to compensate for his difficulties. He did well in high school - not stellar, but very well - and is now flourishing at a well-regarded small liberal arts college. We focused our college search on small schools with small classes and lots of support (tutoring and writing center resources, mandatory professor office hours). He loves college and is earning excellent grades.

OP, keep an eye on it, put some supports in place, and it will be fine. Really it will.

To the PP - this sounds a lot like my DD's struggles. She is 14 and with starting high school this year, it is apparent she needs more help. Could you share more about your son's challenges and what worked? Did he have a 504 plan? How did the school /teachers help?
Your college search sounds like the path we will need to steer DD on. How did you find schools that would offer lots of support?

TIA

Happy to share. Most of his challenges related to organizing his work. He routinely forgot to hand in homework, forgot about assignments, handed in work late or not at all. He struggled with organizing his writing (essays and long papers require planning ahead and organizing your thoughts).

We hired an organization/EF coach who also tutored him in writing. They met once a week for an hour or so, but also did phone checks a few times a week. The coach helped him organize his binders and notebooks so that they were no longer black holes , and had access to Edline, which enabled the coach/tutor to identify and address patterns and issues.

In school, he had a 504 based on testing results. (His ADD and EF issues were identified via testing at Stixrud.). He was able to "preview" teachers' lesson plans, got preferential seating, and was able to hand in assignments and homework electronically, which helped a lot with the forgetting issue.

In college, these "accommodations" are routine, as most work is handed in electronically anyway, and he can sit at the front of the room by choice. Every class has a syllabus. His 504 is not really necessary there, so we didn't file it with the school.

Despite this, the college academic support center has a copy of his Stixrud testing report and has used it to help him organize himself. (This is impressive to me!). He is doing better in college than he did in high school, probably because he has fewer classes and no "homework"/busywork to deal with. His largest class has 18 students in it. The rest, fewer than 12.

We looked at Colleges That Change Lives schools (google it) and paid particular attention to the supports, e.g. tutoring and academic support centers. DC is at one of those. We are so pleased with his school and he is truly thriving.

I hope this helps.

THank you! It's a constant battle to help DD stay organized. She has a hard time figuring out how to initially set up a syatem and then what to discard.
Does it get easier for them/you?

I won't lie - high school was hard. They need supports, they need tools to help and practice using them, they need organizational help. My DC also benefitted from medication. But over time it has gotten better and he owns it all now, and succeeds.

I strongly recommend getting help and putting supports in place.

[Anonymous]

Pp poster with dyspraxia age 6. Just added diagnosis of add inattentive. To poster who has made it through to college- does your ds also have dyslexia? We are on lookout for that but I'm being told too soon to tell. Any advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp poster with dyspraxia age 6. Just added diagnosis of add inattentive. To poster who has made it through to college- does your ds also have dyslexia? We are on lookout for that but I'm being told too soon to tell. Any advice?

Yes, he does. Mild, but yes. The Stixrud psychologist commented that his love of reading has served as a mitigating factor vis a vis how relatively little it has hindered him.

So my non expert advice would be to read a lot to your child, and to encourage your child to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

THank you! It's a constant battle to help DD stay organized. She has a hard time figuring out how to initially set up a syatem and then what to discard.
Does it get easier for them/you?

I won't lie - high school was hard. They need supports, they need tools to help and practice using them, they need organizational help. My DC also benefitted from medication. But over time it has gotten better and he owns it all now, and succeeds.

I strongly recommend getting help and putting supports in place.

I'm wondering about the medication and "level" of ADHD with your son.

Through two neuropsych evaluations (with different neuropsychologists) - summer before 6th and the beginning of 8th grade, DD was dx with executive function deficits, slow processing, short term memory and mild ADHD inattentive. Both reports were luke warm about medicating because the inattentiveness was mild. - After consulting with a psychiatrist, he did not seem to think medication was necessary (and probably partly because DH was against medication). I'm, wondering, as I read medicating for ADHD sometimes helps with executive function.

She sees a speech language pathologist for writing organization and general organization (binder, backpack, homework) plus has accommodations with a 504 plan - upfront seating, extended deadlines, small group testing etc... I'm wondering if medication would make life easier. SHe now does well with handing in assignments but is struggling with learning the content (math, physics, details in her art work etc...) and writing higher level essays. I wonder if this is were her inattentiveness is making life harder than it should be.

Are there other things you found helpful. What was going on that you decided to medicate. What changes did you see.

Any more lessons learned you can share?