Feelgood - Irish Examiner

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:27/10/2010Time:16:45:46Edition:29/10/2010FeelgoodXH2910Page:7
Zone:XH
XH - V1
Stretching out
Olivia Kelleher on dealing with the challenge of her son’s developmental disorder
Learning curve
7
GETTING your child ready
for his first day of junior
infants is a milestone for
any parent. Uniforms are examined,
book lists are double-checked. The
days of sleepless nights and nappies are
behind you and there is an expectation
that your little one will breeze through
the school system.
Complete with glasses and unruly
hair my son Alex, now six, resembled a
junior Harry Potter as he made his way
in to his class in the first week of
school in September 2008.
The first few days centred around
play and getting to know the other
pupils. Then week two came and the
children were assigned homework. The
class quickly moved on from using
crayons to pencils and inexplicably my
son started to struggle with colouring
in pictures or tracing a line.
Alex couldn’t hold his pencil with
ease. Homework
became stressful. I
scanned his homework
sheet in the
car every day after
school to see if it
involved penmanship.
If it didn’t we
rejoiced and a trip
out of the house
was on the agenda.
If there was so
much as a line involving
penmanship
we trudged home
and the crying began.
Mainly the
crying involved me
having a quiet
weeping session
when Alex went off
to watch television
after completing the
horrors of homework.
But on a few
occasions, my
bright and cheerful
little man ended up
in tears because he
couldn’t write the
letter B or colour within the lines.
In early 2009 we approached his class
teacher who agreed Alex needed to be
assessed by a registered occupational
therapist. He attended the Sunflower
Clinic in Cork and following a comprehensive
and sensitively carried out
assessment, was diagnosed with developmental
co-ordination disorder
(DCD). Over the years, DCD and dyspraxia
have been used to describe the
same condition, which was previously
termed “clumsy child syndrome”.
DCD affects a child’s performance of
everyday tasks. A difficulty in motor
planning makes new movements and
actions harder to do.
Children with the condition are often
highly intelligent. The challenge
lies in overcoming difficulties relating
to penmanship, concentration and organisation.
My son is a capable child in many
ways. It just takes him a little longer to
Feelgood
do activities which other children take
for granted. Dressing himself for
school, which was once a mind-boggling
task, has now become easier, give
or take the odd top button in a shirt.
Using cutlery and cutting food is another
uphill struggle and general organisation
can be challenging.
Alex is now in first class and with resource
hours from his school and the
benefits of occupational therapy his
handwriting has improved immensely.
His handwriting can be devoid of
proper spacing at times but that doesn’t
stop him from getting full marks in
spelling in his weekly handwritten test.
Alex has to work that little bit harder
than other children to produce the
same results on the page. A bundle of
happiness, self-esteem could become
more of an issue in his teenage years.
Skills such as driving a car can be difficult
for people with dyspraxia. However,
it is possible
with
patience and
perseverance.
As a parent
I am
torn when it
comes to
sporting activities.
It is
vital that
Alex stay
physically
active.
However,
no mother
wants to see
their child
get upset
when they
are the last
to be picked
for teams.
Alex’s occupational
therapist,
Juanita Galloway
O’Regan,
says it is important to get a child with
my son’s condition involved in multiple
activities to find out what he excels in.
“We have had children come in with
black belts. It can be done,” she says.
Harry Conway, development officer
at the Dyspraxia Association of Ireland,
currently organises activities for children
with the condition. A
Dublin-based football camp has been
particularly successful.
Mr Conway says the camp is not
about developing a sense of otherness
but instead allows children to develop
their skills surrounded by their peers.
“It started off with five kids but we
now have 32. It gives them confidence
to go out and play with other children.
It is heartbreaking when a child isn’t
being picked for a team or is finding it
hard to keep up. Kids with dyspraxia
need a bit of accommodation. These
kids can be so bright. They just need a
little bit of extra help.”
SYMPTOMS of DCD and dyspraxia
include:
■ Poor balance
■ Poor fine and gross motor co-ordination
■ Poor posture
■ Difficulty with
throwing and catching
a ball
■ Poor awareness
of body position in
space
■ Poor sense of direction
■ Difficulty in hopping,
skipping or
riding a bike
■ Slow to learn to
dress or feed themselves
■ Difficulty with writing
■ About 5 to 7% of the population is affected
with DCD or dyspraxia and it affects
males at least three to four times
more than females.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2010
BRIGHT SPARK: Occupational therapy has
helped Alex, whose handwriting has
improved; left, Alex at the Sunflower
Clinic. Picture: Cillian Kelly