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Hi all,

Just read all the posts on this forum. My 7 yr old DD (1 of a twin) has recently been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, Dyspraxia, & ADD. We were expecting the diagnoses of Aspergers as the school gave us some information on it and she fitted the picture.

I was doing great reading up on it and taking on board some of the suggestions but now with these other diagnoses I am overwhelmed and just don't know where to start. We got the assessment privately as it will take over a year to get a diagnosis from the HSE. It's a lot to take in. Is anyone a member of any of the support groups like ASPEN etc?

Regards
Sully

anyone else finding the summer holidays very very very very very hard work. seriously i am at a lost on what to do with dd. she is unbelievably hard work!no reasoning with her.

Hi Lotta

Same here nothing holds my DD for very long, it always comes back to me coming up with something for her to do. I dunno if thats the DCD or being an only child but its driving me INSANE. I'm putting it down to the change in routine, but at the moment everything is an argument and I come away feeling like a dictator.

Have DD booked into a summer camp that's not sports orientated next week so hopefully things calm down a bit. Have you looked into any camps for her.

Hopefully they will get into a new routine soon.

She was all set to do swimming camp but the leisure centre then decided not to go ahead with it
I haven't booked anything else. have been looking for some thing for august. most around here are only for july. which doesnt suit as she has speech therapy for a wk then we going away for a few days during one wk. will keep looking.

I even brough her cousin up to stay a few days thinking, company and someone to play with. she just argues with her constantly even though she says she wants her there

Lotta have you tried using a schedule with her so she knows what is happening in the day? I think the lack of routine really effects them and of course they are wrecked after school...it kind've hits them iykwim. Mine are up late, totally out of routine and we are paying for it!
How old is your dd?

she has generally kept to the same meal times and bedtimes, a bit later going to bed on the warmer days as she would be out playing. Always wakes at the same time though no matter when she goes to bed.
she is 6 and half.

Maybe have a white board or black board and each day write up a rough schedule, it might help her to see it (can she read, if not use pictures, simple stick pictures are enough!)...
She could be very unfocused iykwim, when out of routine so this will give her a feeling of routine.
Obviously it should be a loose enough schedule as you will go mad otherwise but put the main things in...the concept of time seems to cause problems for kids with dyspraxia so visualising it like this helps.

Also sensory wise could things be bothering her? Do you notice anything upsetting her (like if it is warm or the rain etc). Have somewhere she can go for a bit of time out by herself, maybe a little tent in her room? I find this helps recharge them.

thanks louboo
I'll try that with a blackboard. she can read if she sounds out the words and actually likes to do that so may be a good idea.
Thanks

Have any of you any experience of enable Ireland's Aontas programme for children age 6+?

Hi all,
Hope everybody's having a good summer and ready for all the new challenges the new school year will bring.
We've had a great summer but getting a bit nervous (me not DS) about 1st class. DS is having ST at the moment and will be back to the OT in October. His speech is much better and seems to be doing ok socially but the 1st class books look so hard. I've been trying to do a bit with him during the summer but he has 0 interest so didn't want to push it as he has to work so hard during the year. It has backfired a bit though since his little sister has devoured the library books and IT stuff I got to try and help him. I'm kinda torn as I don't want to hold her back but she can read pretty much as well as him now and I don't want to him getting disheartened. It doesn't seem to be bothering him though, it does bother him that he can't run as fast as his friends. Any ideas on how I should handle that? Should I be trying to help him run faster/ be smarter when playing catch or should I be trying to help him deal with not being so fast. It's all so confusing!

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Hi All,

Samca have no advice for you really but I know how you feel DD1 is about to start school and I am dreading it, feel that we have only gotten into the swing of the summer after the change form playschool, she is looking forward to it so thats a help. How does your DS feel about going into first class, take it day by day and hopefully he will adjust fine.

Well its been a whirlwind here, between OT sessions and meltdowns and trying to fit all the other family members in its exhausting so while I am dreading the return to school I will be happy to have a breather in the mornings with only one to chase around.

We started doing the brushing programme and that has helped considerably I have to say, we no longer have three or four changes of clothes although the restrictions of the uniform may cause problems next week, but we will deal with that then.

Hope everyone else is doing well xxx

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Hi

How are all the kids since school started?
I was also a bit concerned about how dd would handle going into 1st class. So far though she is bounding out very happy. She has the same teacher she had in juniors so that's a massive plus. The teacher means business, they had homework on first day back! dd came home with 2 workbooks on the first day( the school buy the books so I don't see the books until they come home)
I kind of thought to myself oh they look hard! Well hard for dd. But the last week she has had tables to learn, now they are basic 1+ tables but she has flown through them , so I'm delighted with that .

dd has had trouble pronouncing the "L" sound and had speech therapy one a wk throughout the yr. The therapist stopped it in June and said give her a break and brought her back 2 wks before she started back in school for 4 days each wk and hey presto dd can now say "L"

To say I'm delighted is an understatement, She is also delighted with herself,she went around singing LaLaLaLaLaLa for a few days after just because she could

Hope everyone else is well.

Hi, anyone got any tips for when out shopping with your lo, quite often dd2 will have some scale of meltdown while shopping (went shopping on thurs to Ikea and because her meatballs were on the wrong tray her dad got a punch in the chest and I got bitten )she never stays beside us and she hates holding hands(she can hold my hand if i dont clasp hers )I think shopping is sensory overload for her but its part of life anyone got any words of wisdom?she has dyspraxia,add,spd.

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Hiya,

Great new your DD is doing so well in first Lotta, sorry Alipmom I don't have any advice for you for when out shopping, I tend to leave DD at home with her dad mostly well when doing the shopping anyway.

DD started in second I could feel all the old feelings of dread coming back by early August. The books looked a nightmare. We met with her teacher last week and she seems happy with her and DD is happy going to school, shes still getting her resource hours for now but homework is taking up to 2 hours. Hopefully DD will have the NEPS assessment this year as everybody is pretty sure she is dyslexic as well.

I'm wondering if anybody can help me on this one. DD seems to be starting to tell lies, fibs about stuff. For example she told me a friend of her shouted no no when DD asked to sit with her on their first day (now maybe the girl did but DD made major dramatics out of it, I often wonder if can can differentiate between fact and fiction sometimes, we have done social stories boy who cried wolf etc but shes still at it, I dunno if its being 7 and being pretty quite at school and seeing other kids doing stuff and coming home and telling me its shes doing it or if it is her thinking process any advice greatly appreciated.

Hope back to school is going well.

Hi Everybody,

Hope all is well. We have just been told that DD will have her NEPS Assessment on Thursday, you'd think I'd be used of it by now but I'm nervous, we have to meet the Psychologist after and I'm dreading it what if she comes up with a load of other stuff, I'm kinda worried about DD's IQ as well as she came in at 3% in the Drumcondra before the summer. Has anybody's DD or DS had a NEPS what can I expect?

Hi everyone

allysmam hope all went well with the assessment . I have no experience of those assessments.

Well the honeymoon period is over regarding dd back in school. She stalls each morning when bell rings at gate. Another yr of this each morning is not what I was planning

I am beginning to think dd has bigger issues other than dyspraxia. Do any of you have trouble cutting your childrens nails. dd is turning into a mad woman re:this whereas even when she was smaller there were no issues with that. This is not just a tantrum this is unbelievable, you wouldn't read about it
she is currently having assesments with enable ireland so will see if they will take her into their program.

Hi Lotta

The assessment went well. Looks like the Psychologist will be reccomending an exemption from Irish looks like shes dyslexic as well.

My DD hates hates hates getting her nails cut, its always a big drama same with getting her hair washed, I think its part of dyspraxia alright its sensory as far as I can remember.

HI dd was the same with her nails so i used to bath her and then put her to bed when she was asleep I cut them,she is a little bit better now but she squeels" noootttt the pinkkkyyyy"when she sees the clippers

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hi,
My dd was the same and the OT did some desensitising work with her which worked, just getting her to put her hands in different materials (sand, rice, water etc)...it seemed to help as she is a bit better, she still doesn't like it but tolerates it. Hates me going near her toe nails though! I think that is sensory.

Just a question for ye, my ds is good at maths, but is having trouble understanding time. He gets the clock and can read that but if you asked him what time was it 30 mins ago he would look at you be confused. He is in second so should know that, he told me that in his drumcondras he couldn't understand the question on time (I think it was something like it is ten o'clock on the clock, but it is 30 minutes fast so what time is it really?) Not sure was it that it was written in English and that was the problem (say if it was a picture of a clock he would get it iykwim).

As he is so good at maths I thought he would have no problem there, is this part of dsypraxia?

thanks.

Ok so quick question dunno if im being over sensitive here but i just put ds to bed and he says to me "mom i did get put on the thinking chair today" and i said "oh ,why were you naughty?" and he says "no, teacher said i didn't do my homework right!" Now he did the homework to the best he could, i sat and watched him rub out mistakes over and over to try get them right so i know he tried.

He is 6 years old with Dyspraxia and maybe Aspergers his hand writing is awful but God love him he tries so hard to be neat and please the teacher. He is also still a bit sick with a viral infection so he is exhausted come home time at school and teacher knows this so would she not cut him some slack? What will the thinking chair achieve ? Will my ds not just be sitting there thinking he is crap at writing as i can't see how he would benefit from sitting on a chair used for the "bold" children!

I'm really annoyed right now and i will be getting the teachers side to the story tomorrow but just want some opinions should i just accept what she is doing or ask her not to put him on the chair unless he is actually naughty?

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jellysnakes10 would it be any chance a table on its own where they can finish homework? My son had one of these last year in his class, it was great as if he didn't have his homework finished he could go there and do it...any child could. Or during the day if they needed some time alone....sometimes other kids just got to him. Again any child could go there for 5 or 10 mins and a lot did request to at times. It was also used if a child was chatting a lot etc, but just for some time out...not as a punishment iykwim.

I hope the teacher didn't put him out there for not doing his homework right, if so I would be cross with her tbh. I do hope he got the wrong end of the stick. Good luck talking to the teacher

Jellysnakes I had a few instances last yr with a thinking chair and dd. dd is now 6 and in 1st class. So this would have been when she was 5 and in senior infants.
She was diagnosed early this yr so then when the teacher seen various reports on dd, the thinking chair wasn't an issue anymore!
But re: homework the issue I had last yr was the teacher was not encouraging.Now dd's writing is not perfect, it is one of her problem areas. She is getting better though. Last yr I was noticing on her workbooks the teacher was writing, stay inside the lines, you can do betteer, you must write neater etc etc. Even when she did write neat(by dd's standards) there was never a praise, always negative comments.
But again when the teacher went through the notes( it was a meeting with the principal present) this negativity was stopped and dd started getting the odd positive comment. Which boosts her confidence.


Thankfully this yr, the teacher she has is more open minded on different childrens abilities.


Your ds shouldn't be put on the thinking chair for not doing his homework right! If this continues I would be having a quiet word with the teacher if I were you.

Thanks for the replies, i am going to meet teacher in the next hour and just drop it into conversation calmly and see what the reason was for being put on the chair. If it was for work he did at home supervised by me then he is not to be sat on the chair again, end of!
If he was put there for misbehaving then by all means work away with the chair. I will let ye know how i get on

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I don’t know what the key to success is, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.

How did the meeting go Jellysnakes10?