diagnosis.. developmental , verbal & Motor Dysplaxia

[mum2three]

Hi guys .. im new here .. im kelz 25 mum to 3 kids and from sydney.

For coming 5yrs now i have been battleing obsticles with my son Jake who will be 5 in december. it all started when he was 6months old and delayed with his milestones .. he also underwent nuro scans bc the doctors thought he might of had "cranio stanosis" but it turned out to just be the left hand side of his brain was larger than the right and the recovery was that he may have problems as he got older ! well as he got older he seemed ok .. he was coming along nicely until 2yrs ago when i noticed that he was having difficulty with his speech. now as any mother and me being a mum of 3 and having 2 other kids with speech issues when they were younger i thought he would come out of it once he turned 3yrs bc this is when my other son picked up and wouldnt stop talking !

well jake didnt ! he contuned to struggle and you could not understand anything he said .. it wripped me apart !!!! :crying: .. we have been doing speech therapy now for around a year and jake hasnt improved much. when this enital assesment was done he was diagnosed severe and spoke jargen and ateast 2yrs behind with his speech .. now a year later there hasnt been much of a change.

Today he was diagnosed with all 3 of the dysplaxia bc it really isnt just the speech thats an issue .. its the whole gross motor , ressesive and expressive , his co-ordination is out etc !
her recomendation atm is to continue the strong speech therapy that he is receiving as well as go on the waiting list for pysiotherapy .. she also said that in the future he may need ocupational .. we will have to see when he starts school !

This is another issue of mine .. jake is due to start kindergarten nxt year .. my theory is to hold him back a year until he is 6 .. but the school states and the therapist states to me that by law he has to enrol into kindergarten next year. now thats all aok but he is going to struggle,i sugested a speech class but apparently he doesnt fit the special class critera .. will he get bullied if he goes next year ? ? Im so frustrated about my poor little guy ! this isnt fair .. i feel like ive failed him as his mother .. i really dont know what to do .. :crying: :crying: :gloomy:

any adice would be appreciated !

[MamaRabbit]

Hi Kelly,

I just sent you an email with some information on a group we see for Development Delay in Sydney.

Drop me a line if you want some more info.

Cheers,

[savarah]

hi my name is Trish and i have a 2 year old daughter who has speech problems. I was wondering if you might have any information on the disorder Dysplaxia, and if you could email it to me, as im not having much luck on the internet. I basically want symptoms, treatment, etc. If you could help me out i would be very greatful.

[pegasus]

Hi Kelz

I'm an Occupational Therapist, and have worked a lot with kids with dyspraxia. I'm happy to talk to you about things like encouraging school readiness. Please let me know if you want to talk via pm.

Veronica

[Purple Back Monkey]

Hi Guys

I understand your confusion and desperation to help your children. My son who will be 6 soon had dyspraxia. It started with a traumatic birth, 18 months of reflux, speech delays and marked fine motor delays from 12 months. People were telling me that I was over sensitive and making a huge deal out of the situation. So it was a huge relief to finally have a diagnosis. So for the last 3 years we’ve worked hard at helping our little man. Knowledge is a powerful ally. http://www.dyspraxia.org.nz/what_is.htm- this website has a great explanation of what dyspraxia is.Madeline Portwood and her books are also revolutionary in this field. However as far as treatments go they all seem a little hit and miss. I found OT and Speechies helpful, however they treat the symptoms of the disorder rather than the root. As it’s a result of a brain immaturity I ‘ve been seeking solutions that address the brains development and found the following helpful-

1 Fish Oils - I can’t sing their praises enough. The improvement in my son was next to amazing. In some Dyspraxic Kids the brain can’t utilize long chain fatty acids and Omega 3s so they need to ingest them in higher doses. The brain is made up of a large percentage of these fats, so getting the right ratio is crucial in attaining optimal brain function. It doesn’t cure it but it helps. My some went from being completely inattentive to being able to listen and concentrate and co-operate which is half the battle.
( My son started on 6 per day for 1 month and is now down to 4 )

2. Brain Gym or the Dore program or physical excersice focusing on balance and crossing the midline- As the brain continually develops through out life, the more opportunity it’s given to form new networks and connections the better the child gets at fine motor, speech and general learning. Doing activities that cross the hemispheres are crucial even though it’s especially hard for these little ones.

As far as school prep goes, have your child strengthen his fine motor skills with scissor cutting, drawing especially diagonals, playdough play, see an OT sooner rather than once school commences. I too faced the decision of whether to hold my son back or not and I sent him. I communicate with the school regularily and support at home whats taught at school. My son forgets things very easily and the basics need to be reinforced regularily so that they are not forgotten. There is also the opportunity to seek funding for a teachers aide- you’ll need to tee up an appointment with the school and get letters from Peads, Ot’s and whoever else you can muster. It’s a lot of work but invaluable. My son is coping well, considering he came in from behind the pack and has a major learning difficulty I couldn’t be more proud of him, He’s sociable, popular and loves school.