I just asked because with my ongoing search at hospital of what is wrong with me some scary things have popped up as possibilities due to stuff like balance and absent reflexes, and while dyspraxia is still one of the possibilities cos of all my other issues and I'd love for it to be something so simple and unscary, I do wonder whether all Dyspraxic people have the same symptoms just to see if its still a possibility! (I have no reflexes)
when I was little, then I would go home from school covered in bruises, and not know how I got them, so think that was slightly to do with reflexes, but we later arrealized that the bruising was cause by my blood condition, so even something as simple as someone touching me would cause me to bruise easily.
but as far as reflexes go, then I am about 1/2 - 1 second after the test maybe longer, just haven't timed myself, or had any reflex tests in about 15 years.
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Lucy, nice to see you got some sort of diagnosis, look on the bright side, at least you will get the extra time for exams, and stuff.
when I was in school they were just starting to recognise Dyslexia, so the extra time was never available to me, and never knew I could ask for it, as never had a medical report, until I found it some 12 or so years later in my medical records.
good luck with speaking to this person to explain, at least you are through about the worst hurdle on getting recognised as having problems. even if they won't say, or can't pin-point it, but as there isn't a true characteristic that all of us share, then I don't think the professionals will ever pin-point us to be Dyspraxia 100%
and think Dyspraxic is about the best we will ever get.
Hi. i made an apointment to speak to this person to explain what the report meant. she was very nice and helpful (even though i was 15 minutes late) and explained things to me.
i've been havig the extra time all the way since gcse's. no idea what allowed me to get it in the first place since i had no full asesment.but it then just automaticaly carried on through alevels and degree. and will of course get it for the last semester of my ddegree exams.
although - i have an exam on thursday. which will be the first exam i havent had extra time for in like forever. its only 1 hr and is during a normal lecture period but counts 10%. i havent asked the lecturer for exta time or told him anything about being entitled to it. its just he's new and i havent spoken to him at all yet. dont know how i'd arange extra time since after the 1hr exam is done we have aother lecture with him straight away were he will go through the answers. so i cant very well have 15mins extra then. i guess i could start early but i would feel awkward. no-one else in the class has extra time either. just me. so am just doig it without.
oh yeah - my official diagnosis is "dyspraxic with dyslexic tendancies". she said i am definitely dyspraxic, and that that much was obvious. as for the dyslexic bit - i am not dyslexic. aparently i have almost all of the problems expected of a dyslexic person (except my spelling is fine). but they are caused by other reasons.
so anyway (sorry long post). i am now a fully legit member anyway. Lucy
I was assessed by an Ed Psych when I was in secondary school, must have been year 8 or early year 9 because i had 25% extra time in my year 9 SATS and all other exams. No clues in the report as to what the condition was, just a slow writing speed, a tendency to concentrate on tiny details rather than the bigger picture and an ability to get things right but very slowly. Also slow reflexes and clumsiness with fine motor skills.
Since then I have tried many times to get assessed for a formal diagnosis but nothing doing. I spoke of dyspraxia to my GP straight away because it didn't occur to me not to. Probably a mistake. When I ask her about it now, she just patiently repeats that they won't diagnose adults, only children. The best she can offer me is a talk with the Community Psychiatric Nurse, but that's to do with my low moods, which although is caused by whatever is wrong with my head, is mistaken for 'simple' depression. I'm not depressed due to a chemical imbalance, I'm depressed because my brain is stupid and keeps doing stupid things. I've tried the other doctors at that practice, but they all stick to the same line.
Tried for DLA a couple years ago. Without a diagnosis or a specialist on my side it was a pointless exercise. The reason they didn't give it to me that they put in the Statement of Reasons was that they saw me turning the pages of my form in the appeal tribunal and I couldn't explain to them why I could turn pages but couldn't chop vegetables. I had four weeks after that to appeal to the Commissioner, which wasn't enough time to get a referral to a physiotherapist for him/her to explain to them that turning pages and chopping vegetables were different actions and required different abilities.
It is my experience that the bubble that exists inside of universities student support services is far ahead of the curve compared to the Rest Of The World - my diagnosis only came because I declared the disability on my application and they considered my pre-16 assessment was not valid (there is a presumption still, that children will 'outgrow this condition' ) so no test pre 16 is ever accepted I have since discovered.)
It was arranged that I would see an Occupational Therapist (Angela Tann - very nice lady and doing her MA into dyspraxia support) who assessed my balance, co-ordination, dexterity, visual discrimination and memory and took a detailed personal history.
The result is I now have a learning contract with the university by an occupational therapist of some standing which declares in bold print what this condition is and how it affects me.
I suspect if I dipped it in liquid gold and encrusted it with diamonds it couldn't be worth much more than it presently is. Were I not at university I am not sure I could have secured either the professional attention and services of a lady like Angela nor the document that articulates my areas of difficulty and I expect that any encounter with a GPs office etc would have given me short shrift indeed.
"You don't get anything worth getting by pretending to know things you don't know."
~ Sam Harris.
I got assessed by an ed psych last year that came up with dyspraxia and dyslexia, I'm starting to think that the dyslexia part might be wrong or at least very very mild. Since starting uni it has been decided that I should go down the path to be assessed for AS.
Lucy
