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Life with Dyspraxia

Most parents watching their children growing up will see them pass through the "normal" milestones, first smile, first steps etc. But what happens when your child doesn't make those milestones? My son was 18 months old when I began to realise that his development was different from others the same age. At 18 months, a baby should be able to say six intelligible words. My son said none. After checks with the health visitor, GP and a paediatrician specialising in hearing loss, he was given a clean bill of health and I was told he was probably just lazy.

By 3 and a half years old, I had to fight to get him a place in a mainstream nursery. It was then that we started our long journey to discover why my son was different. He was referred to NHS speech and language therapy and this gave our first diagnosis. Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia. Seems that all along, the muscles in his tongue are the wrong way round. You can correct this by teaching the child to make sounds. Easy? No, it took many many hours and it was a case of learning as we went along for me. All the sounds that one naturally makes at the front of the mouth, he made in reverse at the back of the mouth. Same with sounds made at the back of the mouth, he made at the front. That's why only I, his mother, could understand him.

At 5 years old, he entered mainstream school on the SEN  (Special Educational Needs) register. He has learned to read and write and caught up with his peers fantastically.

The way his education is affected is mainly in spelling, he is not able to grasp phonetics at all so has to learn words by memory. However, he has found his own way to shine and is exceptionally good at Maths. (Just left primary school with a Level 5 in his SATS)

Movement and coordination are also affected by Dyspraxia and it manifests itself in a lack of spatial awareness. This is the bumping into things and people bit. Wherever we have lived, we have been on first name terms with the Minor Injuries unit. For example there was the time when he shut his finger in the front door. The nurse asked how he did it. He said that he had forgotten the injured hand was there while closing the door with the other hand.

However, he has tried disco lessons, karate lessons and these helped develop coordination. Is it a problem for him now? Well, he plays football, rugby and he's in the County cricket team. Probably just lazy like the first GP suggested? No, just a lovely child who happens to have Dyspraxia. And I'm proud to be his mum.

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