Hello

[BigRob]

Hello everyone,

My name is Rob, I'm 25, married with two kids and living in Wiltshire. I have spent most of my life struggling with things and not knowing why until I had an opticians appointment a couple of months ago and during our chat about how clumsy I was and my lack of hand eye co-ordination, she advised I look into Dyspraxia. My brother is very very ADHD and was on ritolin for most of his childhood and my mum has something similar although she won't admit it.

Trawling the web for information I was struck by how familar everything was. I couldn't tie my shoelaces til I was 12, I can't ride a bike despite years of trying, I keep walking into doorframes and my memory is so bad I often walk into another room and promptly forget what I was doing or why I went there are just a very few of my issues. Going though the symptoms from childhood on different websites and books I found myself ticking more and more boxes and everything seems to link in, I even let my wife go though and tick everything she thinks described me and she was doing the same, she has always said I am wired differently to everyone else and I get on her nerves alot with my shocking clumsiness and bad memory (and she has Friedrichs Ataxia so she is as bad as me )

Problem is now, I have seen my GP and it seems the NHS doesn't bother with adults with Dyspraxia, in the same way that social housing for young people in wheelchairs doesn't exist . My GP has said they will look into it but he doesn't have a clue who to talk to since its "all done in schools these days". Does anyone know the route I need to take to get some kind of diagnosis. I am especially worried because of my kids, they are both under 4 and we had all the genetic tests for ataxia before we had them, but I want to know if there is a chance they might have this so I can keep an eye on it.

So, if anyone can help me out please do and thankyou for reading all of that

[Liz944]

Welcome to the forum!

[Osymandus]

Hi BiegRob

I was diagnoised when i was 33 so yes you can be , "bad news " i had to have it done privately (£400!)
, mind you if your employed most employers will actually pay for this . I was close to London and went to these peopel http://www.dyslexia-idc.org/ Very good .

On teh links of course we have the Dyspraxic Foundation , who will help massively epically with getting your kid's tested in school (it is mostly likely genetic )
http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/ .

Sadly the NHS can be a lottery , my GP is great and trys to find and do as much as he can (NHS have recognised this is a growing issue), so keep pushing and even take some informatio with you to them.

[BigRob]

Thanks for the info, do you know which department/specialist I would need to be referred to by the GP to get a diagnoisis?

My wife has seen just about everyone in the south with regards to neurology because of her condition and she reckons neurology is the way to go but when I spoke to the Dyspraxia foundation they said I would need a clinical psycologist (which my GP says only work in schools) and my GP was going on about the Mental Health team but he didn't really know either so he was going to look into it for me. He is a very good GP so I have confidence in that.

I am a full time carer for my wife and kids, so I am employed by the government for £53 a week. Carers Allowance is not a benefit, you have to work for it (what there is of it) and the help is very limited so we are fully versed in how annoyingly difficult the NHS can be (Wheelchair services took over 4 years to actually see us let alone get my wife a proper wheelchair, thank god for eBay). My GP mentioned Private as an option but he said it would involve numbers with lots of zeros and a friend of mine has just been private to have his aspergers diagnosis overturned so he can join the army and that cost him an arm and a leg

[Osymandus]

I know about Careers my mum used to get that for my Dad . Neurology maybe the way to go im afarid . Like i said i got mine private an had it refunded by my now ex employers. However i am aware that the NHS is alwasy after volunteers and increasing research so you could try it . Or try and claim with your GP its affecting your mental state and see if you can get refered to a psychiatrist ?

This is teh issue isnt it trying to get our self's tested . Originally i was just going for Dyspraxia and got Dyspraxia as a bonus

[BigRob]

Well they do have me dosed up on Prozac for depression and to try and stop me comfort eating but it is having very little effect. I have an amusing list of problems at the moment, flat feet that were undiagnosed for so long its wrecked my joints, leg problems, back problems, depression, wierd migranes, this dyspraxia question, possible dyslexia, hyperhydration super sweating that seems to have started, epidermollisys something or other that makes my skin blister with very little proocation. Its just one more in a long line of issues, but it might explain alot.

I will make encouraging noises about neurology to the GP and see what he says.

[peterkeegan]

request to see a neurologist on the NHS that could be one route.

If you are in further or higher education they could request an assessment by an educational psychologist. Discuss with you Disability Advisor.

If you got a very good employer they could ask an educational psychologist to assess you though your employer may incur some initial costs but if it turns out you are found to be Dyspraxic and/or learning difficulty issues you can claim any monies back from the Department of Work and Pensions under the Access to Work policy, though you would have to wait for an official report abnd phone access to work, go through your local job centre for the number.

If unemployed ask for an interview with Job centre Disability Advisor on hoew to get an assessment.