Need Dysprxia advice: Roadblocks and guidance please

FireBreather

Okay, where do i start i try and keep this short as possible :rolleyes:

Just going to start by given you a feel for how and why, but you can just skip this section to the "Please read here" bit below if you want.

I was always weird when i was younger and i was bad at almost everything because i was clumsy and did everything awkwardly, hated P.E., did terrible in school and my handwriting is comparable to a pre schooler, many more thing but i wont get into them

By late secondly school my GF and a few people from my school thought i had ADD/ADHD, because i was so loud, fidgety and Hyper

but i say im more the daydreamer type over Hyper.....

In anyway read the Symptoms online, definite nailed some things on the head, but felt like that was a lot missing.

In both Primary school and secondary school i did without exaggeration every special class there was and i dont even know what most of them where for!
but in 3rd or 5th year one of my special teachers said to me that she thinks i could be dyspraxic (lol its telling me thats a spelling error, that shows how unrecognized it is)
she gave me a brochure about it, and strangely i found so relieved, as to say i found who i am.....

but in anyway do a Geography class not too long after and teacher hands me back my test results and makes a holy show me in front of my class about terrible my hand writing is and failed me because of it, and i told her i have "Dyspraxia" and she saids "no you dont because only kids have dyspraxia"
so i just forget all about it.......

Please Read Here
Fast forward 8 years im 24 now, doing an IT course and really noticing the Dyspraxia again as im slow at keeping up and have trouble with something as a screw driver, im really worried by my exams and tbh my future for getting a job.

So i make an appointment to be referred and see a GP, as expected she doesn't know anything about Dyspraxia but she played like she did at the start, i tell everything show her the checklist where everything was "yes" bar 1 out of 40 or something, not enough for her so she makes me do a little draw a triangle in a triangle exercise to create a star shape.... did that (badly mind you) she decided from that little one test that she doesn't think i have anything that what im describing is just "the way i am" and refuses to refer me to see someone about i try to explain how this has, is and will effect my life, even told her i still have trouble tying my laces not good enough

then at the end she tells me she doesn't really know much about Dyspaxia:mad:, and she will ask a Doctor for a second opinion and she will let me know. Sigh

that was on Monday still haven't heard anything ive tried nearly twice every hour since then on ringing DyspraxiaIreland for some guidance but no answer.

So does anyone here have any guidance on what to do i dont really want to fork out 400 that i dont have, i have a medical card if that helps and my tests be coming up soon.

Dont know why she was so resistant on referring me, like i dont know how my own mind is, im not begging her for any prescriptions.

Any help would be perfect.
Cheers in advance

P.S. how would i ring and where and who would i speak to get assessed?

FireBreather

Im not sure if this is in the right forum

JuliusCaesar

well Dyspraxia Ireland is a good start. But they are most likely staffed by volunteers, so send them an email giving your phone number. They will be able to advise you.

bajer101

FireBreather wrote: »

Im not sure if this is in the right forum

This may very well be the best forum. The lack of replies goes to show how little this condition is understood. It's often bundled in with Autism, Asperberger's or more often and incorrectly ADHD. I would never have heard about it except that my nephew was diagnosed with it a few years ago. His mother has a masters in child psychology and his aunt is a consultant psych and it still took a specialist to diagnose it properly. It's come onto my radar recently as my daughter is displaying all the same signs. Terrible handwriting (and I mean, terrible), clumsiness, can't catch a ball, falls all the time. I've had quite a few visits to Temple Street and only because a lot of the accidents happened in school, I'm sure I would have come under scrutiny.

My nephew who is now 14 got diagnosed and is now thriving. It's not a mental disorder as such, and he is smart as a whip. He got dispensations for exams and can use a tablet instead of having to handwrite (who's relying on handwriting these days anyway?).

Realising that my daughter could have Dyspraxia, it has been a bit easier as she is a child and can avail of the Assessment of Need facility which is free. This is only for children so is probably of no use to you, but I am engaged with this service and they are very good. If you want to PM me some details I can ask the specialists for advice for you. Either way, best of luck and don't worry about it too much. You'll be fine.

FireBreather

bajer101 wrote: »

This may very well be the best forum. The lack of replies goes to show how little this condition is understood. It's often bundled in with Autism, Asperberger's or more often and incorrectly ADHD. I would never have heard about it except that my nephew was diagnosed with it a few years ago. His mother has a masters in child psychology and his aunt is a consultant psych and it still took a specialist to diagnose it properly. It's come onto my radar recently as my daughter is displaying all the same signs. Terrible handwriting (and I mean, terrible), clumsiness, can't catch a ball, falls all the time. I've had quite a few visits to Temple Street and only because a lot of the accidents happened in school, I'm sure I would have come under scrutiny.

My nephew who is now 14 got diagnosed and is now thriving. It's not a mental disorder as such, and he is smart as a whip. He got dispensations for exams and can use a tablet instead of having to handwrite (who's relying on handwriting these days anyway?).

Realising that my daughter could have Dyspraxia, it has been a bit easier as she is a child and can avail of the Assessment of Need facility which is free. This is only for children so is probably of no use to you, but I am engaged with this service and they are very good. If you want to PM me some details I can ask the specialists for advice for you. Either way, best of luck and don't worry about it too much. You'll be fine.

thanks for the reply

Wow, it took all that!!!, i wonder why this condition is so unrecognized, I am in no libertie to say this can be worst than Dyslexia but i can surely make a safe bet and say its at least on the same level or close enough.....
But yet Dyslexia is so internationally known with loads of Documentaries on it, but Dyspraxia.... no documentaries, no referencing in any media.

Yes those symptoms of your daughter sound like me haha, as you know yourself its better to catch them early for obvious reasons. I am happy to hear they have a place to this with kids for free, brings hope to the future.

and Thanks for offering your own personal time to ask on my behalf i really appreciate it you dont have to do that ill be fine, i decided to do a little resourcing and am trying to build up a portfolio of evidence from my old schools, i already got in touch with my Primary school and be meeting then next week to collect a copy of old record, but funny thing when i rang them, they said there is an assessment result of me from school, but i cant remember doing any assessments, so be interesting to see what that says.....
Im still trying to get in touch with my secondary school, so i can bring all these to my Doctor to show i didnt just wake up and decide im Dyspraxic today lol....

get intouch with Dyspraxia Irealnd and be meeting one of the guys at their group even, its 15 euro, which is well worth someones time and knowledge to speak to me and plus its going to a good cause.

Thanks for taking the time write a reply, showing you understand is good enough that this thread wasnt dead on arrival.

I hope for the bestand answers for your daughter

Packattack

FireBreather wrote: »

thanks for the reply

Wow, it took all that!!!, i wonder why this condition is so unrecognized, I am in no libertie to say this can be worst than Dyslexia but i can surely make a safe bet and say its at least on the same level or close enough.....
But yet Dyslexia is so internationally known with loads of Documentaries on it, but Dyspraxia.... no documentaries, no referencing in any media.

Yes those symptoms of your daughter sound like me haha, as you know yourself its better to catch them early for obvious reasons. I am happy to hear they have a place to this with kids for free, brings hope to the future.

and Thanks for offering your own personal time to ask on my behalf i really appreciate it you dont have to do that ill be fine, i decided to do a little resourcing and am trying to build up a portfolio of evidence from my old schools, i already got in touch with my Primary school and be meeting then next week to collect a copy of old record, but funny thing when i rang them, they said there is an assessment result of me from school, but i cant remember doing any assessments, so be interesting to see what that says.....
Im still trying to get in touch with my secondary school, so i can bring all these to my Doctor to show i didnt just wake up and decide im Dyspraxic today lol....

get intouch with Dyspraxia Irealnd and be meeting one of the guys at their group even, its 15 euro, which is well worth someones time and knowledge to speak to me and plus its going to a good cause.

Thanks for taking the time write a reply, showing you understand is good enough that this thread wasnt dead on arrival.

I hope for the bestand answers for your daughter

**
Moderator: sorry to bring up a four month old post, I know you don’t like that.

FireBreather: I got diagnosed with Dyspraxia when I was 24 in 2004, in my final yr of Uni. There was a psychologist in Dundrum village. I did the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) test and scored an IQ of 127, but an EQ of only 85. Terrible handwriting, studying really hard in the library and just scraping C’s, useless at sport or co-ordination, feeling awkward etc etc. For my final exams, I was allowed use a laptop rather than hand write my answers, which was great.

GP’s won’t know about Dyspraxia or non-mainstream conditions, that’s why she fobbed you off with a politician’s answer.

Go to a psychologist who specialises in child psychology for closure on this.

Dyslexia is a different kettle of fish entirely – those people are usually fine socially and only struggle with reading/writing. I know Dyslexics that have climbed to the top of companies, but many Dyspraxics or Aspies are unemployed/underemployed despite being highly intellectual. Sad really.

Hope this helps.

sweetie6

in relation to the previous posts by Firebreather and Packattack, you may both well ahve been diagnosed with Dyspraxia but also have other conditions involved on the Autism Spectrum. Dyspraxia is often misdiagnosed in my experience and may well be Aspergers most especially from what Packattack has described his signs and symptoms as. Its the not fitting in that doesn't quite work with Dyspraxia unless its a learned behaviour from childhood. It causes huge issues in relationships of all types; work, intimate and friends/family. I am sure you all have examples of such.

Have any of you ever had follow up testing?

Musefan

Have a look at Professor Amanda Kirby's work and the Dyscovery centre. It's not uncommon to have overlap in dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and ASD.

Before you go to a psychologist, go to the disability advisor in your college. Some colleges have supports available even for students without a diagnosis. Ask if you can type your exams, if you may be entitled to extra time etc...

Torakx

I have a close friend with dyspraxia and aspergers syndrome.
It can make things difficult for him(especially with a really tough college phd in the works). Like walking into door frames, spilling things or just having to really focus on his body and environment when he has to move around.
Also easily distracted in class, due to sensitivity to sound.
But he is also one of the smartest people I know and does not do great with standard tests generally I think.

Over the years I have done a fair bit of research on this. Mostly aspergers. Not so much the dyspraxia.
From my research the dyspraxia seems to mostly effect coordination and possibly is responsible for the issues with facial recognition.
There was actually a thread here a day or two ago that was needing participants for a related study in Trinity or UCD.That might be worth finding out about if you look through the recent threads here.

I can't remember if it was just in relation to aspergers or covered dyspraxia symptoms as well. But I have read certain diets can help a lot in many of these cases.
In some cases drastic changes in children who are caught early with aspergers related issues. Skin alergies, cognitive performance improvements, memory improvement etc.
People who know my posts well enough will probably laugh now..
It came up regularly in my research for the candida albacans diet.
Apparently it helps with these issues in some cases and I honestly can't remember if it has be known to help with dyspraxia too(I doubt it, although the brain does show that it can change and grow even when we are old. er plasticity or something..). But worth a look online if you are stuck for ideas.

Aspergers is not that hard to spot, when you go through the persons childhood memories and look for the obvious symptoms.
Often kids with aspergers at a certain age will shout out in a loud noise in order to hear their own voice.
Very roughly between ages 5-8 or so. It is a method of self discovery.
I am pretty sure if you are having issues paying for or finding suitable tests from professionals, you will find the answer by reading through a load of sites online.
Once you learn how it can appear in people, you will notice it in others as well from time to time. It is really common in Ireland. I know a couple of people with it just off the top of my head. But they all have symptoms(or diagnosed as having) of aspergers as well as dyspraxia.

There are also online tests that are obviously not 100% reliable, but can give a good indication where you are at, very generally.
Which could help give better direction for research.
Best of luck

sweetie6

I agree with everything Torakx has said. That was similar to what I was trying to explain to Firebreather and Packattack. Aspergers is often present and can be a mask. Good luck everyone