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Oh they are terrible to get hold of on the phone, dd had assesments through early intervention, I was waiting on each different report, there was a delay with 2 of them, I was getting nowhere over the phone, I landed myself up at the health centre(where she is based)and surprise surprise she had one of the reports ready, dated that it was recieved and ready the previous month You just have to keep on at them until they are tired of looking at your face and hearing your voice.

no he is very high funtioning so not a hope , we think school are taking it more seriously now s he hs started to have huge panic attacks in school as well as at home ,and is now voicing his upset thank god xxxxxxxxxxxx.He is only 7 to see the ters and upset ,is just awfull .xx

I just don't believe this, I managed to make contact with the Early Intervention Team to be told that they won't be assessing DS as he is too old. The child is only 5 by the way, nearly 6. They said that they only assess children up to the age of 5. I explained that his problems are really only becoming apparent now and that I thought that they did assess older children. The lady I was speaking with said that the HSE do assess older children but it depends on which area you live in and apparently I don't live in one of those areas. When I inquired about how long I would be waiting for his OT appointment, I was told that the waiting list was about 3/4 months which I suppose isn't too bad. Just thought I would update and also need a little outlet to vent my frustration. Just feel so annoyed and disappointed. Just want the very best for DS and they couldn't care less about him. When I do get to see the OT I am half tempted to play up his difficulties, cry etc, maybe they might take him on. DaisyMay

Daisy May that's terrible.

I have just googled there and found this:The rules will apply to all assessments although at present they apply only to children under five at the time of application and those who were under 5 on 1st June 2007

That is from this site:http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/health_services_for_people_with_disabilities/assessment_of_need_for_people_with_disabilites.html

If it were me I would look into it further, I might even go as far as getting the form and applying for it anyway and send it in.

Thanks for that Lotta. It is so frustrating. I will keep tipping away at them. Will phone again next week. Maybe when he is seen by the OT and when we are actually sitting down with her we might get a bit further along. I sort of feel that the lady I was speaking with was the first line of defence iykwim. DaisyMay

Best of luck with it. From my own experience I know you just have to keep at them.

Well, I got another refusal today from the EIT this time in writing telling me that they will not be assessing DS as he is too old. They are suggesting that we try and access the NEPS Pyschology Service through his school. Has anyone had any experience with the NEPS team, will they be able to diagnose him. I really feel like throwing the towel in with the HSE. I don't think they are going to do anything for us. Will probably go down the private route now. DaisyMay

Hi DaisyMay,
I've been meaning to reply here for a while but haven't got around to it. We were in a very similar situation to yours 2 years ago. EIT did not want to know about DS as he was in JI at the time. We persisted and with us annoying them as well as the school and speech therapist he was seen by the community OT. The OT diagnosed Dyspraxia and he was then seen by the AMO to rule out anything neurological and we were waiting for a neps assesment because in order to get resource hours in our area his IQ needed to be in the normal range. The school get a limited number of assesments though and because he didn't have problems academically he wasn't high on their priority list. So we got a private ed. psyc report which as expected showed him as being in the normal range. He then got a diagnosis of DCD and resource hours were recomended and he has been getting them since.
So over the last couple of years he has been getting ST, OT, physio and resource hours and it has made a huge difference. He is doing well in school and played a GAA match on Sunday. He wasn't exactly the star player but didn't stand out either so both myself and himself were delighted. The help at school has made a huge difference. Handwriting is his main problem at the moment but they are really working on it.
I just looked up his stuff there and it was the lady from Early Intervention who refered him to the Community Occupational Therapist. Children here in Cork usually need to be 6 before they will be seen but she got him seen earlier in oder to get us off her case!

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Hi Samca, thank you for your reply. Your situation does indeed sound similar to ours. I am sure you are delighted two years on to have the support that your DS needs. The GAA match must have been a proud moment for you both. Well done to your DS.

Dyspraxia was flagged in our DS about a month ago. He has been attending for physio and orthotics at our local children's hospital for the past two years and it was the physiotherapist who felt that there was more of a problem with DS than just his flat feet. He is behind in some of his gross motor skills). She had him seen by a general pediatrician who agreed with her findings and along with them both and his orthopedic consultant who we initially saw about his flat feet two years ago referred him to the EIT for assessment and also to be seen by a community based OT and PT.

As well as been refused by the EIT, we will not be seen by a PT any time soon due to staff shortages. I am hoping that when he sees the OT that they will recognize that there is a problem with DS.

So far, no issues have been raised by DS's school and I have yet to bring to their attention the situation that we now find ourselves in. I sort of want to have some sort of plan in place before I approach them. All reports on DS so far have been good. He is getting on well in school, keeping up with his work and is mixing. DH and I feel that he is not mixing as well as he should and has some problems relating to boys his age. We also feel that he has some difficulty in expressing himself. Although he is getting on well academically in school we feel that next year may pose more of a problem for him as they start to do more work. Like you, we don't think the NEPS team will be in a hurry to see him because he appears to be doing well in school. He won't be a priority for them. To me it is just an attempt by the EIT to get us off their case.

For some reason I am hesitant to approach the school just yet, especially as it is so near the end of year. Hopefully, we won't be waiting too long for an OT appointment. I think the waiting time in our area is 3/4 months and we are already a month in.

DaisyMay

Daisy May he can still be assessed under AON process even though he is nearly six, that is a load of rubbish what they told you.

Also only a OT can diagnose Dyspraxia afaik.

Aunnie, that is my understanding aswell. Definitly getting the round around here. DaisyMay

if the child was under 5 year old on 1st June 2007 he is eligible for an AON to be carried out.

Don't go near EIT, Contact your AON section of the HSE in your area and ask for the forms.

http://www.humanrights.ie/index.php/2010/06/21/7700/ Here is the case that states a child over five can have a assessment done once they were under five years old on 1st June 2007

Thanks for that Aunnie. DaisyMay

I have to agree, download the AON form and fill it out. Although my DS was only 4 I was fobbed off by PHN & GP (both saying they would refer him but taking their time about it) Thanks to advice on here I filled out this form last October and he is being assessed atm (Cork). GP & PHN did eventually refer him but because I had filled this out they had to stick to the 6 months (ish) is getting him assessed.

Have seen been told off the record that AON applicants are seen above other cases, a referal from PHN without the AON could be 18 months

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DS 4 - DD 3

Quick question if someone can help me - does your child only qualify for resource hours if they are diagosned with Dyspraxia and not SPD?

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DS 4 - DD 3

Seems to depend on where in the country you are but as far as I know you don't get hours for SPD and not always for Dyspraxia. In our area they look for DCD rather than just Dyspraxia before they allocate hours.

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SPD does not qualify for resource hours, dyspraxia does but not always apparently, they now look to see if it is effecting the child in school (I think this depends on the SENO in the area, I just know of some parents who had to fight for it for their child with dyspraxia)

Where we are not for SPD but 3 hours for Dyspraia/DCD

dd also gets the 3 hours for DCD/Dyspraxia. Her original report stated DCD. Her hours were not awarded until I got a report with DCD/Dyspraxia.

Dd has dyspraxia and spd but as she's gotten older she seems to have improved massively now don't get me wrong she still has massive angry outbursts ,and in the last month alone she has knocked over or dropped and smashed 6 cups and glasses ,her writing is much better(although she leans so heavy it goes through 3pages).im just wondering is this a natural progression it's almost as if she's been "cured" to some extent,her concentration is still very poor as are her spellings ,though she has stopped fixing her socks and pants .she was diagnosed at 6 and she's just turned 10.

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alipmom my ds is 8.5 and he has improved greatly, we had him reassessed recently and he has come up in a lot of his scores, he would be average now in some areas he was bottom in...
He would still have a lot of sensory issues but usually can manage them much better, iykwim. He now wears ordinary clothes, not just tracksuits!

Tbh he was diagnosed 3 years ago and in these 3 years we have put a lot of work into him, with OT, and in school with his resource teachers, he has taken up taekwondo and this has really helped.
I think the work is paying off iykwim? Also he has more understanding of himself, which helps. He is very determined too.

For sensory issues I got the book The goodenoughs get in sync. It is aimed at 8 - 12 year olds, and explains sensory processing issues really well, it seemed to help make even more sense to him. I would definitely recommend it!

Thanks louboo I will check out that book, she has come up to a sten 5 in english up from a 4 last year ,she wet the floor tonight (unusual) she just peed and she just said uh oh! She just didn't realize she needed to go ,just when you realize one problem has improved ,I hope to god for her sake this was a once off as she has only really started to form real relationships with her classmates (her sna was reduced this school year from ft ).thanks for reading x Ali

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I am posting with a positive update. My DD was diagnosed with SPD 2 years ago. I was worried recently about her anxiety levels and was really concerned that I was missing something like Aspergers. She had 2 appointments with a psychologist who said she did not have ASD and referred her for OT. Well, the Ot has been amazing! I can't even articulate how DD has changed. She's doing a programme called "How does your engine run" and it's the business. Today she went to a party with lots of people she didn't know and she enjoyed herself totally. She was able to distinguish excitement from anxiety - a new experience for her. Alipmom, I read your post with interest because DD takes regular backward steps, but often before she makes a leap forward.

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Proud mum of 3. DD1 Skinny Minny 10! DD2 My Sensitive Soul 8! DS The Bulldozer A big 6!!!!!!!!!

That's brilliant allgirlz it's especially rewarding when they can function normally in a social situation.dd had a party in may (the first in our new kitchen;)) its her first party since joining a new school 2years ago ,and I was terrified no one would come,but it brought a tear to my eye when they all arrived and genuinely enjoyed her company.dd attended an nurodevelopmental therapist for 2 years and it worked wonders for her ,anxiety is not so much a problem but frustration is she can't be tied down or controlled when we go shopping I just let her wander ,and give her big boundaries (you can go as far as the kitchens in Ilea for example)I don't feel comfortable with it but she has to be able to do tasks like going to a supermarket.one trip to Ilea was exhausting as I kept her beside me and it resulted in her screaming at me and punching me from the sofas to the kitchens. Every year she's moving foreward and o vercomming challenges which is fantastic.how old is your dd allgirlz?

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