hi im new and i was just wondring if any one can help me ?
i am currently studying at college and i was asked to go to see the student support service as the teacher thought i had dyslexsia, wen i went to the woman to do a dysleaxia test i was told the symptoms im showin are more likey sympotoms of dyspraxia buts she can not offically diagnose dyspraxia and told me to vist my gp so i did this and my gp said that the nhs do not fund adults getting assesed as i am 19 i dont no where to go from here or even if i should go ahead and find out how to be assessed as family memebers say that there is nothing wrong with me and i am looking for excuses. i just thought that maybe if i go through some of my symptoms with you guys someone can tell me if its worth me trying to get asessed or just a waste of money. my symptoms are:
i cant stand loud noises like music talking shouting or anything
im terible at maths i just cant understand it
bad spelling and ive never been good at puctuation
i say words how they look
bad attension span
cant stand tight clothes or jewlery touching me
bad memory i forget what im talking about all the time and i have forgotten how to hold a knife and fork before
clumsy
messy
i dont like eye contact
i HATE people touching me or getting in my personal space
i often put my foot in my mouth i tell secrets without meaning to
i am really shy
and i cannot make friends easyly people think im rude and im truely not
half of the things i have rote problely dont make sence so sorry if its wasting time but i just need to no wher to go from now, and the learner support womam said i show signs of adhd as well
thank you
oh and im a fussy eater like senstive to different textures and tastes i dunno how to describe it like i dnt like soggy wet kinda food so i have to separate my food
am i wasting my time ??
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prettyinpink
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am i wasting my time ??
Last edited by prettyinpink on Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: am i wasting my time ??
not sure my advise is going to sound very good. I am paying £500 for an assessment, as there doesn't seem to be a more likely way, but there are people around the forum who have been more lucky with their GPs. It seems to be a bit of a lottewry. your gp doesn't sound to seem very sympathetic (though at least he knows what dyspraxia is!), so...dunno...start saving for the assessment? 
Eva in London
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prettyinpink
- New member - welcome them!
- Posts: 3
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Re: am i wasting my time ??
500 oh wow i didnt think it would cost that much 
thanks for replying.
thanks for replying.Re: am i wasting my time ??
I'm afraid mine was €400 and it took me a while to find an Occupational Therapist who would do an adult in Ireland. This is the check list that is used for kids but you'll be able to get the gist and see if it fits. It's from a really good book called...How to Understand and Support Children with Dyspraxia:
Dyspraxia Check List
Initial Check List
1. Does the child have difficulty holding a pencil?
2. Does the child have difficulty forming letters?
3. Are the child’s drawings distorted or immature?
4. Does the child appear clumsy?
5. Is the child easily distracted?
6. Does the child appear unaware of their appearance and look unkempt?
7. Does the child have poor attention skills?
8. Does the child have difficulty getting organised?
9. Does the child have difficulty manoeuvring around objects?
10. Does the child often seem confused or frustrated?
11. Does the child seem to have low self-esteem or little self-confidence?
12. Does there appear to be a mismatch between the child’s verbal reasoning and written recording?
13. Are the child’s letter sizes erratic?
14. Does the child have difficulty in communicating?
15. Does the child’s speech deteriorate under pressure: for example when put on the spot for an answer?
16. Does the child have poor oral control when eating?
17. Can the child hop?
18. Can the child jump with two feet together?
19. Is the child able to balance one leg?
20. Can the child thread beads?
21. Can the child cut with a scissors?
22. Can the child use a ruler effectively?
23. Can the child dress and undress for physical education?
24. Can the child manoeuvre on and off physical education apparatus?
25. Does the child leave adequate spaces between words when writing a sentence?
26. Does the child commence writing at the appropriate side of the page?
Verbal Dyspraxia Checklist
1. Does the child struggle to produce spoken words?
2. Are certain words or phrases spoken spontaneously (automatic speech) yet the child is unable to repeat them on request (voluntary speech)?
3. Is the child’s understanding of speech much better than their expression?
4. Is the child’s speech hard to understand?
5. If more effort is required to say something, does it become difficult for the child to produce the words?
6. Is there difficulty in expressing consonant clusters, so that “black” may be pronounced “lack” and “tree” may be pronounced “ree”?
7. Are difficult consonants replaced by simpler consonants: for example “cat” is pronounced as “tat”?
8. Does the child exhibit stutter-like movements, exaggerated gestures or grimacing?
9. Do other children complete the sentence for the child?
10. Is eye contact limited due to poor self-confidence and low self-esteem?
11. Does the child have difficulty expressing emotions?
12. is there an increase in the number of errors which is directly liked to word length and the complexity of the word?
13. Does the child appear to be groping for words?
14. Are words produced in a disorganised format?
15. Does speech sound slow and hesitant?
16. Is the problem with speech deviant rather than immature?(Williams et al., 1980?
Handwriting Checklist
1. Does the child seem unsure which hand to hold the pencil in?
2. Is the pencil held in an abnormal grip?
3. Does the child sit appropriately on a chair when writing?
4. Does the child slump forward onto the table when writing?
5. Does the child position the paper awkwardly when writing?
6. Does the child lift their wrist off the paper when writing?
7. Is too much pressure applied through the pencil?
8. Is too little pressure applied through the pencil?
9. Are letters formed appropriately?
10. Are reversed or inverted letters evident?
11. Does the child commence writing at the left side of the page?
12. Does the writing slope downwards across a page rather than follow a horizontal direction?
13. Are inadequate spaces left between words?
14. Are the sizes of letters erratic?
15. Are letters incompletely formed, i.e. the cross bar is missing from the “t”?
16. Does the child’s writing contain an erratic mixture of upper- and lower-case lettering?
17. Do you struggle to identify distinct ascenders and descenders in the child’s writing?
18. Does the child struggle to join letters appropriately?
19. Does writing appear slow and laboured?
20. Is the speed of writing slow?
21. Does the child have low writing confidence?
Numeracy Checklist
1. Does the child understand special concepts such as top, bottom, above, below, inside, beside?
2. Is the child able to recite numbers in the correct order?
3. Is the child able to write numbers in the correct sequence?
4. Can the child write numbers in the correct orientation?
5. Does the child seem confused when there is more than one problem on a page or when the page has additional information such as pictures and patterns on it?
6. Does the child struggle to set out calculations correctly?
7. is the child able to calculate age-appropriate sums mentally?
8. Is the child confused by the meaning of certain mathematical symbols?
9. Is the child confused by the mathematical terms which mean the same thing for example times and multiply?
10. Does the child rely on fingers or objects to count?
11. Does the child struggle to count objects due to poor organisation?
12. Can the child match three-dimensional objects to a corresponding picture?
13. Does the child struggle to depict three-dimensional objects?
14. Does the child understand the direction of calculations? For example when adding 100s, 10s and units presented in columns, do they remember to start from the righ?
15. Is the child able to estimate or suggest an approximate figure when Looking at a series of objects?
16. Can the child manipulate practical maths equipment effectively – for example Cuisenaire rods?
17. Can the child control a ruler in order to draw shapes or straight lines?
18. Can the child remember simple number rules when taught in the class?
Physical Education Checklist
1. Does the child race around large sp0aces such as a dym hall in an uncontrolled manner?
2. Does the child appear intimidated by the space and sounds of a large hall and prefer to stay on the edges?
3. Does the child bump into other group members whenever an activity requiring movement is undertaken?
4. When controlled movement is required, does the child demonstrate an overflow of movement, for example when running around the hall, if “stop” is called, will the child run on?
5. Is the child able to hop?
6. Is the child able to jump on the spot with two feet together?
7. Is the child able to jump forward?
8. Is the child able to skip?
9. When throwing an object such as a ball or beanbag, is there a lack of control and direction?
10. Is the child able to catch a ball?
11. Is the child able to balance on all for limbs?
12. Is the child able to balance on all four limbs and rise and arm and opposite leg from the floor without falling?
13. Is the child able to balance on all four limbs and raise an arm and leg from the same side of the body without falling over?
14. Is the child able to balance on one knee without toppling over?
15. Is the child reluctant to use apparatus which takes them off the floor; for example walking along a dym bench or climbing over a horse?
16. Does running appear clumsy and uncoordinated?
17. Is the child reluctant to join in team games?
18. Is co-ordination when moving around objects poor?
19. Does the child prefer activities based at floor level?
Reading Checklist
1. Has the child’s reading seemed to deteriorate over their time in school?
2. Does the child become tired when reading?
3. Does the child rub their eyes frequently when reading?
4. Does the child lose their place on the page easily?
5. Does the child tend to repeat words previously read due to an inability to scan along each row?
6. Does the child skip rows when reading?
7. Does the child struggle to read information when the font is small?
8. Does the child struggle to read when the page appears to have a considerable amount of information on it?
9. Does the child struggle to sound out words?
10. Does reading improve if the print is in a colour other than black?
11. Does reading improve if words are written on a coloured background?
12. Does the child ever complain of headaches or nausea when reading?
13. Does the child struggle to concentrate to read for more than a few minutes?
14. Does the child use excessive head movement when reading?
15. Does the child hold their head at an angle when reading?
16. Does the child lie across the table on one arm when reading?
17. Does the child try to avoid reading?
Social skills and communication checklist
1. Is there a difficulty for the child initiating conversations?
2. Does the child show difficulty in adapting to new or unfamiliar situations?
3. In unpredictable situations, will the child react by for example bursting into tears or lashing out?
4. In group situations is the child placid or over controlling?
5. Are there problems with personal hygiene (often due to poor toilet hygiene)?
6. Does the child who difficulty in picking up non-verbal signs, which may lead to tactless statements being made?
7. Does the child show difficulty with listening skills owing to being distracted?
8. Is there a tendency for the child to opt out when things appear too difficult?
9. is the child sensitive to failure?
10. Does the child have a difficulty in understanding certain types of humour, particularly sarcasm?
11. Does the child have emotional outbursts during periods of great stress?
12. Does the child have difficulty in appreciating the viewpoint of others?
13. Does the child struggle to find a range of solutions to problems?
14. Is the child indecisive due to poor self-confidence and self-esteem?
15. Does the child intrude into the personal space of others?
16. Is the child unaware of their own physical appearance?
17. Does the child make inappropriate or exaggerated use of tone and gesture?
18. Does the child respond aggressively to teasing?
19. Does the child interrupt conversations?
20. Does the child have noisy eating habits (this could be linked with verbal dyspraxia)
21. Does the child have difficulty using a knife and fork, often resorting to fingers?
22. Is there evidence of poor posture when the child is sitting? (girls with dyspraxia may sit with their legs apart)
23. Is the child sensitive to noise levels? They may be unaware that the TV is turned up loudly for example.
24. Does the child hae difficulties in speech (such as those experienced by children with developmental verbal dyspraxia)?
Dyspraxia Check List
Initial Check List
1. Does the child have difficulty holding a pencil?
2. Does the child have difficulty forming letters?
3. Are the child’s drawings distorted or immature?
4. Does the child appear clumsy?
5. Is the child easily distracted?
6. Does the child appear unaware of their appearance and look unkempt?
7. Does the child have poor attention skills?
8. Does the child have difficulty getting organised?
9. Does the child have difficulty manoeuvring around objects?
10. Does the child often seem confused or frustrated?
11. Does the child seem to have low self-esteem or little self-confidence?
12. Does there appear to be a mismatch between the child’s verbal reasoning and written recording?
13. Are the child’s letter sizes erratic?
14. Does the child have difficulty in communicating?
15. Does the child’s speech deteriorate under pressure: for example when put on the spot for an answer?
16. Does the child have poor oral control when eating?
17. Can the child hop?
18. Can the child jump with two feet together?
19. Is the child able to balance one leg?
20. Can the child thread beads?
21. Can the child cut with a scissors?
22. Can the child use a ruler effectively?
23. Can the child dress and undress for physical education?
24. Can the child manoeuvre on and off physical education apparatus?
25. Does the child leave adequate spaces between words when writing a sentence?
26. Does the child commence writing at the appropriate side of the page?
Verbal Dyspraxia Checklist
1. Does the child struggle to produce spoken words?
2. Are certain words or phrases spoken spontaneously (automatic speech) yet the child is unable to repeat them on request (voluntary speech)?
3. Is the child’s understanding of speech much better than their expression?
4. Is the child’s speech hard to understand?
5. If more effort is required to say something, does it become difficult for the child to produce the words?
6. Is there difficulty in expressing consonant clusters, so that “black” may be pronounced “lack” and “tree” may be pronounced “ree”?
7. Are difficult consonants replaced by simpler consonants: for example “cat” is pronounced as “tat”?
8. Does the child exhibit stutter-like movements, exaggerated gestures or grimacing?
9. Do other children complete the sentence for the child?
10. Is eye contact limited due to poor self-confidence and low self-esteem?
11. Does the child have difficulty expressing emotions?
12. is there an increase in the number of errors which is directly liked to word length and the complexity of the word?
13. Does the child appear to be groping for words?
14. Are words produced in a disorganised format?
15. Does speech sound slow and hesitant?
16. Is the problem with speech deviant rather than immature?(Williams et al., 1980?
Handwriting Checklist
1. Does the child seem unsure which hand to hold the pencil in?
2. Is the pencil held in an abnormal grip?
3. Does the child sit appropriately on a chair when writing?
4. Does the child slump forward onto the table when writing?
5. Does the child position the paper awkwardly when writing?
6. Does the child lift their wrist off the paper when writing?
7. Is too much pressure applied through the pencil?
8. Is too little pressure applied through the pencil?
9. Are letters formed appropriately?
10. Are reversed or inverted letters evident?
11. Does the child commence writing at the left side of the page?
12. Does the writing slope downwards across a page rather than follow a horizontal direction?
13. Are inadequate spaces left between words?
14. Are the sizes of letters erratic?
15. Are letters incompletely formed, i.e. the cross bar is missing from the “t”?
16. Does the child’s writing contain an erratic mixture of upper- and lower-case lettering?
17. Do you struggle to identify distinct ascenders and descenders in the child’s writing?
18. Does the child struggle to join letters appropriately?
19. Does writing appear slow and laboured?
20. Is the speed of writing slow?
21. Does the child have low writing confidence?
Numeracy Checklist
1. Does the child understand special concepts such as top, bottom, above, below, inside, beside?
2. Is the child able to recite numbers in the correct order?
3. Is the child able to write numbers in the correct sequence?
4. Can the child write numbers in the correct orientation?
5. Does the child seem confused when there is more than one problem on a page or when the page has additional information such as pictures and patterns on it?
6. Does the child struggle to set out calculations correctly?
7. is the child able to calculate age-appropriate sums mentally?
8. Is the child confused by the meaning of certain mathematical symbols?
9. Is the child confused by the mathematical terms which mean the same thing for example times and multiply?
10. Does the child rely on fingers or objects to count?
11. Does the child struggle to count objects due to poor organisation?
12. Can the child match three-dimensional objects to a corresponding picture?
13. Does the child struggle to depict three-dimensional objects?
14. Does the child understand the direction of calculations? For example when adding 100s, 10s and units presented in columns, do they remember to start from the righ?
15. Is the child able to estimate or suggest an approximate figure when Looking at a series of objects?
16. Can the child manipulate practical maths equipment effectively – for example Cuisenaire rods?
17. Can the child control a ruler in order to draw shapes or straight lines?
18. Can the child remember simple number rules when taught in the class?
Physical Education Checklist
1. Does the child race around large sp0aces such as a dym hall in an uncontrolled manner?
2. Does the child appear intimidated by the space and sounds of a large hall and prefer to stay on the edges?
3. Does the child bump into other group members whenever an activity requiring movement is undertaken?
4. When controlled movement is required, does the child demonstrate an overflow of movement, for example when running around the hall, if “stop” is called, will the child run on?
5. Is the child able to hop?
6. Is the child able to jump on the spot with two feet together?
7. Is the child able to jump forward?
8. Is the child able to skip?
9. When throwing an object such as a ball or beanbag, is there a lack of control and direction?
10. Is the child able to catch a ball?
11. Is the child able to balance on all for limbs?
12. Is the child able to balance on all four limbs and rise and arm and opposite leg from the floor without falling?
13. Is the child able to balance on all four limbs and raise an arm and leg from the same side of the body without falling over?
14. Is the child able to balance on one knee without toppling over?
15. Is the child reluctant to use apparatus which takes them off the floor; for example walking along a dym bench or climbing over a horse?
16. Does running appear clumsy and uncoordinated?
17. Is the child reluctant to join in team games?
18. Is co-ordination when moving around objects poor?
19. Does the child prefer activities based at floor level?
Reading Checklist
1. Has the child’s reading seemed to deteriorate over their time in school?
2. Does the child become tired when reading?
3. Does the child rub their eyes frequently when reading?
4. Does the child lose their place on the page easily?
5. Does the child tend to repeat words previously read due to an inability to scan along each row?
6. Does the child skip rows when reading?
7. Does the child struggle to read information when the font is small?
8. Does the child struggle to read when the page appears to have a considerable amount of information on it?
9. Does the child struggle to sound out words?
10. Does reading improve if the print is in a colour other than black?
11. Does reading improve if words are written on a coloured background?
12. Does the child ever complain of headaches or nausea when reading?
13. Does the child struggle to concentrate to read for more than a few minutes?
14. Does the child use excessive head movement when reading?
15. Does the child hold their head at an angle when reading?
16. Does the child lie across the table on one arm when reading?
17. Does the child try to avoid reading?
Social skills and communication checklist
1. Is there a difficulty for the child initiating conversations?
2. Does the child show difficulty in adapting to new or unfamiliar situations?
3. In unpredictable situations, will the child react by for example bursting into tears or lashing out?
4. In group situations is the child placid or over controlling?
5. Are there problems with personal hygiene (often due to poor toilet hygiene)?
6. Does the child who difficulty in picking up non-verbal signs, which may lead to tactless statements being made?
7. Does the child show difficulty with listening skills owing to being distracted?
8. Is there a tendency for the child to opt out when things appear too difficult?
9. is the child sensitive to failure?
10. Does the child have a difficulty in understanding certain types of humour, particularly sarcasm?
11. Does the child have emotional outbursts during periods of great stress?
12. Does the child have difficulty in appreciating the viewpoint of others?
13. Does the child struggle to find a range of solutions to problems?
14. Is the child indecisive due to poor self-confidence and self-esteem?
15. Does the child intrude into the personal space of others?
16. Is the child unaware of their own physical appearance?
17. Does the child make inappropriate or exaggerated use of tone and gesture?
18. Does the child respond aggressively to teasing?
19. Does the child interrupt conversations?
20. Does the child have noisy eating habits (this could be linked with verbal dyspraxia)
21. Does the child have difficulty using a knife and fork, often resorting to fingers?
22. Is there evidence of poor posture when the child is sitting? (girls with dyspraxia may sit with their legs apart)
23. Is the child sensitive to noise levels? They may be unaware that the TV is turned up loudly for example.
24. Does the child hae difficulties in speech (such as those experienced by children with developmental verbal dyspraxia)?
Re: am i wasting my time ??
By the way. Don't let people put you off. if you have a lot of the symptoms there get it check out. I'm 38 and I'm quite sure that if I told my family that I was going to get assessed they'd have said the same thing. And when I did have to tell my boss she was sympathetic but did ask me why I got assessed? If I thought that there was a problem with my sight I'd get that checked wouldn't I. I got assessed for college but why wouldn't I get assessed. It's a weird question isn't it as if I was getting assessed to get attention? I don't know?
Re: am i wasting my time ??
Hiya
I know it's fustrating, when you know something is wrong, but you haven't the means to confirm your suspisions . You said you're at College, I suggest you contact your college disability office and ask them to pay for an educational psychologist assessment.
To me you your symptoms suggest Dyspraxia, but you need an expert opinion.
My University arranged and paid for my assessment. The Educational psychologist who assessed me is called Tim Francis, he 's really nice, If you wish to contact him, his number is 01825 766011
His email is childpsych@btinternet.com.
He won't charge you for telephone advice.
Let me know how you get on OK.
I know it's fustrating, when you know something is wrong, but you haven't the means to confirm your suspisions . You said you're at College, I suggest you contact your college disability office and ask them to pay for an educational psychologist assessment.
To me you your symptoms suggest Dyspraxia, but you need an expert opinion.
My University arranged and paid for my assessment. The Educational psychologist who assessed me is called Tim Francis, he 's really nice, If you wish to contact him, his number is 01825 766011
His email is childpsych@btinternet.com.
He won't charge you for telephone advice.
Let me know how you get on OK.
Re: am i wasting my time ??
Hi Just to let you know your GP is wrong , adults are diagnosed on the NHS , you ask fr a referral to a psychologist , keep insisting or ask for a second opinion , but psychologists do do adult Dyspraxia diagnosis.
Also colleges and Uni's should have a educational psychologist to do a full test . OT's cannot do a legal test only psychologists.
Also colleges and Uni's should have a educational psychologist to do a full test . OT's cannot do a legal test only psychologists.
Re: am i wasting my time ??
If you are talking about the NHS you must be in England so your set up is different. In Ireland only an OT can give an official diagnosis but price wise it would be about the same. Hopefully you'll be able to get it for free through college.
-
prettyinpink
- New member - welcome them!
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:04 pm
Re: am i wasting my time ??
thank you everyone for your respones , im going to speak to my gp again but i live in london so i dont no if this makes a difference i think i will speak to a different gp as the one i spoke to is quite rude and wasnt my first chocie but was the only appointment and i wil deffo speak to the college too i just hope someone can help me i just want to feel like the things i go through are normal and not just in my head thanks again xxx
Re: am i wasting my time ??
Would be worth having a list of symtoms to bring in with you and even if you managed to get some of the things under control think back to when you were younger because if your memory is anything like mine you wont' be able to think of anything when you go in. I typed up the things that I could think of and a reminder of examples of things for myself so that I could explain when I went in.
Re: am i wasting my time ??
Hi
The good news is that I live in London and was diagnosed on the NHS by a psychologist as a result of a referral by my GP. The bad news is that it took several years from when I first approached my GP to it actually being done. My advice is just to be persistent and make sure the GP knows the effect it has on your life
The good news is that I live in London and was diagnosed on the NHS by a psychologist as a result of a referral by my GP. The bad news is that it took several years from when I first approached my GP to it actually being done. My advice is just to be persistent and make sure the GP knows the effect it has on your life
Re: am i wasting my time ??
I help run the Adult Advice line for teh Dyspraxia foundation , and the good news is NHS is (or was ) getting quicker so yes persist . Again its the area your in that will dictate the speed .