A Very ‘Hidden' Disability by Jill Curtis

Annie can only too clearly remember the day her peace of mind was shattered. Her mother telephoned her and asked her if she was worried about four-year-old Andrew. ‘No,' said Annie, ‘why should I be?' Her mother went on to say that her concern was about Andrew's development and especially about the way that Andrew was always spilling, bumping into things and tripping over. After putting down the phone Annie took a long hard look at her son who was playing in the garden with a friend. Whereas Bobbie was hopping around and quite clearly had no trouble at all kicking a ball, Andrew was indeed walking awkwardly and in comparison seemed clumsy and uncoordinated.

However, knowing that measuring up one child with another was an absurd thing to do, Annie put the whole incident out of her mind. She knew that children develop at different rates, and this comforted her.

It was several months later that her worries returned. At the nursery they said Andrew was ‘an ungainly child' and was finding it difficult to hold a pencil properly. Annie herself noticed that when they were out shopping - even in familiar places - Andrew had no sense of direction at all. Hearing from a friend that her son who was younger than Andrew, dressed and undressed himself was the final straw and Annie went through a seesaw of emotions common to many parents of: there is something wrong with my child....oh no, there isn't....oh perhaps there is, but what can it be?

Annie contacted a friendly Health Visitor and it was when talking with her that she first heard the word dyspraxia used. Dyspraxia, or developmental dyspraxia, is a descriptive term for the condition of those children who have co-ordination difficulties - and the range of these difficulties can be extensive. Dyspraxia is an immaturity of the brain resulting from messages not being clearly transmitted to the body. Not all the problems caused by dyspraxia will be experienced by everyone with this disability, and by no means to the same degree, so do keep this in mind. Don't jump to conclusions - just because your child does not like having his hair cut that he is dyspraxic! I don't know of any three-year-old boy who does.

If you are worried, talk to your GP and request a referral to a paediatrician or a child development centre, and an assessment can be made by a psychologist, physiotherapist, speech and language therapist or an occupational therapist. Don't self-diagnose. If your child is already at school, talk to the SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator).

Remember, the prognosis is usually hopeful, because although dyspraxia is not curable, increased maturity means there will be an improvement in some areas. When I was writing Does Your Child Have a Hidden Disability? I talked to parents, and all of them remembered the worrying time when they saw their children struggling and they did not know what was happening, or what to do to support their child. However, many also told me that their children did, with time and help, overcome some of their early difficulties.

We can all help to get this ‘invisible' disability more widely known about. By raising awareness of this condition it will create a better general understanding of the resources needed by dyspraxic children.

Does Your Child Have a Hidden Disability? by Jill Curtis is published by Hodder and Stoughton at £7.99. Jill has her own website at www.familyonwards.com.

Visit the Dyspraxia Foundation.