Annea

Thank you to those who have answered me. My husband and I read the dyspraxia site, and there is an awful lot of stuff that 'fits'. Certain things made me smile, especially the unique swimming style (she swims in circles, and often flips over whilst swimming) I am going to take advice and get together all the symptoms, and a diary. I'll go back to my GP and just refuse to be fobbed off. Thanks again Oh and "Happy Easter" Anne

I forgot, she is also very clumsy and her spacial awareness is not good... she can't walk in a straight line, and constsntly walks into things or trips up when out and about. Anne

Hi Everyone, I'm not looking for online diagnosis, more some opinions about whether anyone has experienced what my daughter is suffering. I have 4 children 3of whom are girls, my eldest daughter was diagnosed with A/S 18 months ago. My middle daughter is fine apart from impending PMT. My son aged 5 seems fine. My youngest daughter is 10, and she has always been quite aloof.... but compared to my daughter with Aspergers has always seemed not quite right but not too much to worry about. However about 12 months ago, I noticed my daughter had a very odd standing posture, and when I laid her flat things didn't seem quite right. I took her to the GP who said he was very worried and that she did appear to have certain problems with flexibility in her legs and hips. My daughter saw an orthopaedic surgeon who suggested she had missed cerebral palsy and asked a paed to confirm this. The paediarician saw her and said she did have a few 'odd' neurological symptoms but he was sure it wasn't cerebral palsy. Becuase of the neuro symptoms though he did a brain scan. The scan was negative so he discharged her into the care of the physios. Now when she was seen by the physios they said she has very poor mobility in her pelvis and had very tight tendons in the backs of her legs so she was plastered to stretch them. The physio said she may have to be plastered again if she had a growth spurt. However she has retightened up at intervals and has been plastered 3 times now. Yesterday the physio came to the house to do her exercises and commented that once again she had really tightened up and said that in only 6 weeks with no evidence of a growth spurt, this was a little worrying. She thinks that my daughter should be reassessed by the paediatrician for further testing. Now my daughter also has several other symptoms that I think are worth noting but on their own don't seem to give anyone else any alarm these are: She is 10 but doesn't know the months of the year, she can't tell the time (only o'clocks and half pasts), she only just manges the days of the week. Her reading is above average! But her spelling is about 2 yrs less than her age. She has odd moods, when laughing she is often quite over the top and very loud (not quite knowing when to stop) she also dances and flaps when excited. She also has episodes of 'not caring' I mean she does lot's of naughty things like snip the curtains with scissors, stir her fish tank, and when told off she just say's "sooorrreeee" in this exagerated voice, but when I settle her and question her, she really doesn't seem to care and doesn't seem to know why she did it, although she knows it was wrong. She also still wees the bed on occasion and also often dribbles in her knicks in the daytime, often without realizing. I am now aware that she often is very whiffy but she doesn't seem to notice or care. Her concentration span at times <not always> is zero and I have now resorted to giving her one instruction at a time, such as "go brush your teeth" becuase if I tell her to go to the toilet, brush teeth and wash, I will just find her playing as she just forgets what I have asked her to do. I am now getting really concerned about her, the school will not refer her to ed psych because they have other children who they feel are higher priority. The paed discharged her once already. And I am just feeling Oh here we go again!!! Has anyone else experienced the above symptoms together, or am I just seeing something that isn't there? grateful for all comments. Anne

Thank so much curra, I'm not sure if they will be able to help but here goes! Anne

Does anyone have the email address for family fund? I looked before and they said you can no longer apply online but to email or ring for application form. I spent an age writing an email only to go back to the site and it seems to be down. If anyone has the email addy it will help me not to have to rewrite the whole email again. Thanks Anne

Hi I took my family this time last year and my 12 yr old has A/S. Have you looked at the dibb? http://www.thedibb.co.uk/ It is a forum dedicated to everything disney... I got some good info their last year and am using it again trying to plan for another holiday later this year. Personally I didn't have a lot of luck with Virgin (I am in the minority) but Disney itself is wonderful for those with dissabilities... I felt almost normal when i was there!!! I am usually looking so harrassed and am always ready to fight my corner.. last year i was able to relax for the first time in a long time! Anne

Before I applied for DLA, I sat on the form for about 6 months. The paed kept telling me to apply so I did. The paed, the Autistic society kept reminding me to put down the worst days, i felt very disloyal writing down how she actually was. When I put my form in, i photo copied it and gave my paed a copy. (The form had been filled in with her help anyway) But this way she was able to mirror my answers in her form when the time came. I however put in a claim for myself as I have a progressive liver condition and have lots of pain and fatigue. I was turned down flat for my claim. I now know that the GP wasn't sympathetic and put down my symptoms as mild (yet she is the one prescribing me all the medication)... I have even been signed off work for two years following a governemnt benefit medical so it is a bit of a farce really) It really does seem to be a lottery as to who gets it and who doesn't! Keep on trying everyone..... if you need it, you should be getting it! Anne

My daughter now in yr 8 is also bullied because of naivety. The kids are never rough with her, but they do 'play' with her head, by asking her lots of social types of quesions and they laugh at her responses. The recent bout of bullying is them asking her repeatedly whether she likes candy floss.... stupid huh? well my daughter has blonde fine curly hair and resembles the character on the front of the book candy floss by Jacqueline Wilson..... She now understands the question, and why they are teasing her, but still can't pluck the corage up to say some of the 'smart' replies we have given her! These kids make me sick!!!! It's a sad world we live in! Headers: In response to your posts >> Hi my dd was bullied when she started school at 4.5yr she was bullied about her speech and some odd behaviour she displays the teachers said children are too young at that age to bully another child, I believe children often know when another child is different, even when approached by a child in her school at a superamrket she was made fun of, however i have moved her since, im not sure if she still gets bullied but have heard children say that no one talks to her because she doesnt know or understand anything and they often correct her speech Is that bullying i dont know ? Are there any symptoms of bullying This would be useful. << I feel very strongly that bullying is not all about hitting and puching, or even being verbally abusive, I like the following - Tattum and Tattum (1992) proposed the following definition. "Bullying is the wilful, conscious desire to hurt another and put him/her under stress" I think a lot of people say, " well kids are kids and they have to learn to cope with a certain amount of bullying.... This may be true and the world is full of it.... But maybe if kids understood the consequences of their actions, it might be a nicer world eventually.... Children have the right to feel safe and secure, both at home and school, and if they are constantly intimidated or stressed due to the constant actions of another person, then something has to be done. In the case of your daughter, it might be that the children just don't know how to 'be' around your daughter and maybe a buddy system might work, the correction of speech would depend how it s done, they might just be mimicking how the teachers correct her... I know my dd often corrects the younger children at the school as she adores them and is a born teacher.... it's just how she is..... It certainly sounds like she is isolated though so I would certainly meet with the teacher! Anne