I'm certain that my son has dyspraxia in addition to SPD. He can't take down his pants (he's 3.5), use a fork, do any fine motor activities that are not his own idea. However if he comes up with the idea to stick a box of 500 Q-tips down the air vent, well the gosh almighty he'll stick with that activity for the entire time. It's like he can't follow a direction because something about processing the request makes it impossible.
He walks like he is drunk and falls down "more than any other kid in class" so says his special education teacher.
does anyone else have kid with dyspraxia? Apparently 1 in 10 has this... that's pretty common.
I'm wanting to know about language delays in dysraxic folks too.
I'm sorry, I am not sure about the dyspraxia, but you really made me laugh with the q-tip comment! My son once put a whole bag of goldfish crackers in the fishtank. I know my son is very clumsy. He trips on air, runs into walls all the time. I am not sure. Have a great day today!!!!!!
My 5 y.o. daughter has dyspraxia and speech apraxia. I think they both fall under the heading of SPD. When I asked her OT to tell me how she arrived at that diagnosis, she told me it is her inability to plan more than 2 steps ahead. Her dyspraxia affects some of her gross motor skills, but her fine motor skills are excellent. She has made a lot of gains since she began OT. The first week, the OT gave us an exercise where she had to walk in a figure 8 pattern around two objects a few feet apart. She could not do it. She kept walking in an oval. We had to put a string on the floor in a figure 8 to get her to cross in the middle of the two objects. She also couldn't track an object with her eyes when it crossed midline. Now she is able to do that if there aren't any distractions.
She's been having speech therapy since she was three with painfully slow improvement. Then when she started OT and they gave her oral motor exercises, her speech exploded. Even my dad, who is very hard of hearing, can understand her now--that's an accomplishment.
My son is what I have been told by other dsypraxics as Global dyspraxic because all of his processing capabilites are affected, My son can be holding an object and drop it because his fine motor skills are delayed after a few minutes he loses the sense of feeling the object in his hands due to him having such a light grip. He is also bi-lateral discoordinated, meaning he can't use both sides of his body at the same time. Riding a bike, tying shoe laces, buttons, catching a ball etc etc. All these things he can't either do or does with extreme difficulties. Along my journey anyone that has said yes to questions like--does the child have repetative motions, or fixation on certain subjects, toys, etc will fall into the Aspbergers or PDD-Nos spectrum. Please don't misinterrupt what I am saying I am Not saying your child has this, only sharing what I have learned on my journey in getting my son diagnosed. Since these conditions can be co-morbid it gets harder to get the proper diagnosis.
I have been told that my son is SPD or "High functioning Aspbergers" , just on the borderline. Whatever, I know what his problems are and I work with him according to that. The label gave me the tools I needed to get him where he is today. He is still extremely uncoordinated, he has trouble with bike riding, catching a ball, running, he always falls walks into things, he cannot stand group sports, but loves to swim, golf,(can't hold the club and is in too much of a hurry) anything independent. His fine motor has always been great, thankfully. His mind is AMAZING! Yes fixations; bugs, fish, minecraft,(ugh). etc.... I think these are all just things that come with this territory. I repeat this ALL the time, but I went and saw Temple Grandin a few months back and to hear someone with this speak and get their perspective really helps. She talked about her fixations and how if it were not the people in her life at that time that had her pursue what she was fixated with she would have ended somewhere else. SHe said that NASA, silicon valley, anywhere you have people with jobs that are very detailed, you have people with Aspergers or within the spectrum. To take their fixation and use it, but teach them to use it in the correct fashion because they will become so successful in that. It is not a bad thing but needs to be directed in the right way. Although this may seem trying, but it is not an enabler, just there are a few more bumps to get over to achieve the goal. Last summer my son was the only child in all the 2nd grade classes that made it into the Northwestern University gifted program for the summer because of his grades. (it was $400 but he went) So there are so many more things that will be achieved because of this! I don't care about him not being able to catch a ball, is it important for him in the future because he is a boy, sure because of society, but this too will come. I hope I have not gotten off the track here, but once you get on track he too will follow.
Thanks Heather. My daughter's teacher keeps reminding me that my daughter can't draw, even a stick figure. I keep thinking, "who cares?". Not everyone is an artist. She can do a puzzle like a whiz. She can find things amazingly fast in I Spy and Where's Waldo. She can ride a bike and shovel a sidewalk. She says she wants to be a firefighter when she grows up--I can see that happening. So she can't draw--big deal!
Some people think such silly things are so important! My older son can't draw a stick figure either and he doesn't have a thing wrong with him but laziness~! lol If everyone could do the same things we wouldn't have such a variety of things in the world! She has a great goal in life and that is important! Some of these teachers are very dingy!