Amazing dexterity when its something they like?

[Lynden]

Logan is and always has been a fan of bead mazes (or anything at all that spins in fact!) and he has a few and I was at the GPs today and it struck me how efficiently he can wind the beads round all the nooks and crannies, yet he struggles with using a spoon etc... I'm assuming its normal but find it difficult to understand at times!

 

And on the spinning note, we find that a lot of toys we buy involve spinning of some sort, because we know it stimulates him, but lately I've been wondering if we should avoid doing that, but getting him interested in something that doesn't spin is a nightmare! Any thoughts? Advice?

 

Thanks

Lynne

 

PS - sorry for only ever asking questions! I dont really feel I'm qualified to give any advice as yet as its all new to us!

[lil_me]

Sometimes its down to motivation rather than coordination problems, so therefore your son enjoys the beads and makes the effort but is not interested in the spoon,

my son was diagnosed as Dyspraxic a long time ago but I am curious now as to which parts are Dyspraxia and which are lack of motivation as he's fine with a transformer, but all a pot when it comes to getting dressed.

 

As with obsessions, I find rather than going along directly I change things slightly, my sons always been interested in sealife, started when he was about 2, but recently I have bought him books on dinosaurs that go in the water and now he's interested in all dinosaurs and similar like boats, enviroment etc which not as interested yet but hopefully given time.

 

Nothing wrong in giving them what they enjoy but expanding it is much easier than trying an immediate change.

 

I'm not a proffesional, but as parents in a way we are all experts, we know our childre better than anyone and no matter how small I'm sure in the very near future you will be able to offer suggestions or support to a parent who needs it.

[Zemanski]

I know a dyspraxic kid who excells at football, neither of my dyspraxic children can kick, aim or run well though.

 

Apparently with dyspraxia if one skill is practiced continually the child will become proficient at it but because they only practice most skills as often as most other people do they do not achieve the proficiency - this will include skills that from the outside look as if they are similar but the brain connections for those skills may be very different. Both my kids are great at art but both have problems with writing.

 

So, if your child has the motivation to practice something continually they will get very good at it even though there is little progress with other skills.

 

This is why dyspraxic (and dyslexic) children learn skills better through practicing little and often - a daily 10 mins handwriting is far better than an hour once a week.

 

Zemanski

[LizK]

Adam probably has some degree of dyspraxia and struggles with some fine motor skills. However with scissors he's extremely proficient and can use them better than some of his friends. This wasn't always the case, before Christmas he could barely handle them but as soon as he realised the blades opening and closing were like doors (still got that obsession !) he tried using them again and again chopping up random pieces of Christmas gift wrap - supposedly on the pretext of helping me wrap presents

 

I agree with the other posters that if the child is sufficently motivated or interested to repeatedly practise then they will acquire that skill

 

Suppose we have a similar thing with doors as you do with spinning toys. He has got toys that appeal to this aspect of him like a wooden train bridge that goes up and down. He likes Daniel's jack-in-a-box and popup toys because they have doors. I think it's finding a balance really. I don't see the point in buying him toys he won't be interested in but don't want to overdo the door thing either. Sometimes try to use doors as a way of introducing him to playing with other toys in a different way so say let him open and close the train bridge several times but then get a lego man to walk over the bridge. Rubbish example but hope you know what I mean. Nursery use this tactic quite a bit to engage him in other activities. They are doing shopping as a theme at the moment so Adam is allowed to open the door of the Wendy house shop and let the other children in and out!

 

Liz x