Help it's Christmas!!!!!

Dyspraxia/DCD and Christmas.

Christmas is traditionally what people think of as a joyous, family orientated time of year, but for those with dyspraxia/DCD it can be very stressful indeed. Apologies to the adults with dyspraxia/DCD reading this but I write as a Mum and so this relates to children. Adults, I hope can avoid some things or make some choices about the way the day pans out.
Some children with dyspraxia/DCD love all the chaos but some really find it very anxiety provoking and this blog is written with them in mind..

Children with dyspraxia/DCD are rather at the mercy of family traditions and expectations but for someone who craves 'sameness' and who perceives the world in a different way, these expectations can simply be too much and if there is not some understanding and forward planning the day can turn from one full of joyous intentions to a stress filled nightmare.

Children with dyspraxia/DCD often have visual perceptual problems and this affects the sense they make of what they see (it answers the issues with heavy footedness, stumbling into familiar things, finding stairs problematic etc). 

At Christmas we may talk of Santa and how he visits the 'good' boys and girls. If your child is not receiving appropriate/adequate support at school then he will already assume that this message precludes him, as afterall he may have been repeatedly told that he is naughty, lazy and lacks concentration. Then we tell him that a complete stranger dressed in a red costume will enter his bedroom uninvited and he needs to be asleep. My son who has severe dyspraxia/DCD spent the entire night awake and upright as a small child  in complete fear of this visitation. One year I had absolutely no sleep at all on Christmas Eve and then had to prepare dinner for a houseful. It was miserable!  I was delighted when Santa was outed as we all got some sleep on Christmas Eve. How many photographs have we all seen of terrified  children being made to sit on Santas lap. It's a madness!!

(Facebook.com)

Christmas day starts with excited siblings, twinkling lights, brightly coloured wrapped objects and an air of expectation which may at best make no sense to the child with dyspraxia/DCD and at worst be completely terrifying.

The day continues with the ingestion of energy inducing sweets and treats, the banging of crackers, visitors to engage with and screams of joys, music, games and general mayhem. For the child who lives and learns differently it may be a nightmare scenario and we need to consider their needs in order to make the day successful for them, for you and for your family. It is both bad and sad to have to deal with meltdowns and the looks of disdain and disapproval that they often invite from others. It can make the day heavy with sorrow and everything that you didn't want it to be.

We as parents and /or carers need to give some consideration to the day before it arrives and to prepare our child with additional challenges for what it is likely to entail.


Tips for Christmas Calm.

Don't overstretch yourself. If it is your 'turn' to have all the family then let them know that you already have quite a lot to consider and so you will need their help. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Only participate in the things that will make you happy or that have special meaning. Don't feel obliged to do things because others think it is the right thing to do.

If you haven't got your shopping done yet, then don't take your child with you as you rush around getting things done. Shopping centres at Christmas are a sensory nightmare. Shopping online is much less problematic. 

Talk to your family and visitors about what Christmas may be like for your child and how they can help.

Talk to your child. If they beleive in Santa, let them know that he doesn't have to enter their bedroom. He can leave their presents with you. If your child thinks they have been bad, explain that no one can be good all the time and Santa understands that they find life more difficult than their siblings/friends.
Create a visual time table for your child. Map out what will happen and when so that they can cope better with the changes to routine. I know that there is a degree of sadness in removing all the spontaneity but it really does pay dividends. 

(Twinkl)

Don't put all the decorations up on Christmas Eve for the children to wake up to. Introduce them over time. 
If you are going elsewhere for Christmas then pack a backpack with some favourite and familiar things in it. Ask the person who's house it is to prepare a quiet space that your child can retreat to if they need to and take some ear defenders if things are likely to get raucous. Have a Christmas free zone in your own house too.
Take turns to play games and spend time with your other children. Your child with additional needs can perhaps play on an Ipad while you do this or your partner could take them for a walk or read them a story.
Stagger the opening of presents and make them easier to open. Tons of sticky tape can be very difficult for someone with poor fine motor skills. It can be fun to wrap up a familiar or favourite toy.Too much all at once can be overwhelming.
Be aware of their sensory needs. Balloons or Christmas crackers may be an absolute disaster for some, others may find the excitement too much, or the flashing lights difficult to deal with. Visitors may like to hold off from wearing too much perfume which can be difficult for some. 
Give your child some jobs that they can focus on. Perhaps they can take coats or wander around with nibbles for people.
If you are cooking dinner then buy some ready prepared things. No one needs to know and it will save you time and stress.
Remember to be kind to yourself. You are giving extra all the time and Christmas should be fun for you too. Don't rise to any criticism that comes your way from people who 'know' how to parent your child better than you do.

Remember that the best surprise for a child with dyspraxia/DCD may well be no surprise and that is fine.   Go with it and make the day calmer, happier and more successful for everyone.

For further information re dyspraxia/DCD please visit www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

Gill's Hog Blog number 12.

As the year draws to a close. What have I learned?

The end of a year offers an opportunity to reflect on many aspects of life, and life as a rescuer is just one part of my own life. I have taken  over 200 hedgehogs in this year. Some have thrived and some have not. Such is the balance of rescuing. By the time hedgehogs are seen they are usually pretty poorly and the stress of capture often accentuates  their problems . Time is of the essence if they are to survive.

I have learned...

•  that people love hedgehogs. I am reminded daily of that by the donations and gifts that come my way to be used in the rescue. There are some very kind people out there.

•  that hogs are a complex little mammal and the odds are stacked up against them.

•  that by placing a shallow bowl of water out and some cat biscuits, lives can be and are saved.

• a degree of detachment. These creatures are just so fragile (especially the tiny hoglets) and can deteriorate so rapidly. It is best to help where I can and accept where I can't and acknowledge that a warm and comfortable death may be the only thing I can offer.

• that we humans are the greatest threat to the survival of this iconic creature which is now endangered and facing huge obstacles to its survival.

•  that other rescuers are very generous with their information and experience.

•  that it is extremely difficult to take time out/away and often hard to say 'No' but I have managed to keep the in patient numbers manageable.

•  that on the whole I enjoy the time I spend in 'The 'palace' and there is immense satisfaction in rehabilitating a sick animal and returning it to the wild.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas. I will  start my christmas day by cleaning out cages and gazing down a microscope as I do every day and I have learned that that is just fine.

Thank you so much for your continued interest and support.

                                                      .

Rescue, rehabilitate, release.

Gill Dixon runs Pricklington Palace Hedgehog rescue here in Howden. Purely voluntarily and single handily. Please visit  www.facebook.com/pricklingtonpalace/ to support her work. Donations via www.paypal.me/Dixon1829

Gills hog blogs.
Are hedgehogs intelligent?

by Gill Dixon, PGCE,MA,BHScHons,RGN.

The short answer to this question is NOT VERY. However I guess it depends how one defines intelligence. All mammals are capable of complex behaviour and usually respond to environmental, physiological and behavioural factors and pressures.

Intelligence, in my opinion is  in itself neither valuable or particularly interesting really. We all know of highly intelligent people who lack any common sense or flexibility of thought.

Hedgehogs tend to fit the general ecological model of an animal with limited brain development and their anatomy seems to suggest the same but some of their behaviours are usually associated with something with greater intelligence, such as their need to hunt for live and often patchily distributed prey, their ability to navigate well and their excellent maternal care. Their brain development though is pretty much unchanged since they first appeared 15 million years ago! (They have though survived for 15 million years).

Hedgehog behaviour   is far from stereotyped and dull, and their sense of smell and  hearing are highly developed.

Lindemann (1951) and Herter (1965) trained hedgehogs to carry out a number of remarkable and complex tricks and these learned behaviours were not forgotten even after months of hibernation. One such hedgehog learned to curl and uncurl on command and recognised its own name.

The hedgehog seems to have quite a good memory, especially for places and it is perfectly developed for the life it is meant to lead, but perhaps the fact that it has not evolved to cope with reduced available foodstuffs and diminishing habitat is a measure of lack of intelligence as it has brought the species to now critically low levels. However perhaps an intelligent hedgehog would say that it is the behaviour of humans that is to blame and perhaps it is the intelligence of  humankind that should be questioned!

                                                   

Ref: Reeve,N Hedgehogs. (1994) Pub:Poyser Natural History.

Rescue, rehabilitate, release.

https://www.facebook.com/pricklingtonpalace

Gills hog blog number 11

Overwintering hedgehogs.

One issue for rescues is the problem of hedgehogs who are fit but not big enough to be released during winter months. The Palace becomes full of healthy individuals and there is no room for sick ones. Occasionally i welcome temporary fosterers to care for the hogs until they can be released in Spring.

Can anyone foster?  

First and foremost the person must love and respect wildlife. These are wild animals and should not be disturbed unnecessarily. They are nocturnal, so apart from cleaning them out  daily and perhaps weighing them, they will not be seen.
You must be able to provide food and water every day for up to six months.

You will need.....

• Somewhere quiet for the hog to live. No TV's ,radios, loud bangs, screaming children or unnecessary disturbance.
• To keep domestic animals away. Hedgehogs need to be frightened of cats and dogs in the wild.
• Suitable accommodation. A hutch, cage, shed or plastic box. (hedgehogs are great climbers). 
• Adequate bedding. Shredded paper (torn up newspaper is fine) dust free hay or fleeces. It is extremely important that they can bury themselves.
• Heat may be needed. A small heat pad is adequate (advice will be given).
• Suitable food which is meaty dog or cat food and biscuits. Absolutely no treats and nothing you have dug up in the garden (snails and worms carry the parasites that kill hedgehogs).
• Weighing scales to keep a check on progress.
• Rubber gloves for cleaning and handling are a must.
• Cleaning solution which is safe for hogs ( I use F10 which is available online).
• To be prepared to return the hog if you have any concerns.

I will never give out a sick hedgehog knowingly and will always be available for advice or support.

Please be aware that hedgehogs are messy and smelly and carry diseases that can be passed to humans. They are definitely NOT pets and my aim is always to return them to the wild. Children should not handle them unsupervised and it is extremely important that the hedgehog is not disturbed to show visitors or friends. This causes extreme stress which can lead to illness. 

Rescue, rehabilitate, release.

Gill Dixon runs Pricklington Palace Hedgehog rescue here in Howden. Purely voluntarily and single handily. Please visit  www.facebook.com/pricklingtonpalace/ to support her work. Donations via www.paypal.me/Dixon1829

Hog blog 6 extraordinary behaviour

Gills Hog Blog number 6

Tales from Pricklington Palace.

Extraordinary and curious behaviour.

Our knowledge of hedgehog behaviour is woefully poor and far from complete but one bizarre behaviour that has been observed by most people who spend any time at all with hedgehogs is the practice of self- anointing.

This when a hedgehog produces a mass of frothy saliva which it then 'spits' onto its back and flanks with an unmistakable twist of the head and flick of the tongue. the seemingly frenzied animal may really contort its body to reach the less accessible areas with saliva.
The activity can be brief but may also last up to an hour and during the time the hedgehog is highly absorbed in the activity and is difficult to distract from it. Lindemann (1951) observed that only healthy animals participate and that it is common to all species.

A number of researchers have produced theories about what triggers this behaviour, the most likely being that it is in response to an unusual or particularly strong odour. having said that the list of substances reported to trigger self-anointing is truly mind boggling and ranges from acrid pungent items, to perfumes but includes something as innocuous as distilled water!

The interesting thing is that no one truly knows what the behaviour is for. Perhaps the odour camouflages the hedgehogs own smell as they seem to take a sample of the odorous substances and mix it with the saliva before plastering it all over their spines. some suggest that it conditions the spines and is part of grooming. Perhaps it makes the hog repellent to predators, or perhaps they simple enjoy the activity, rather like ones pet dog rolling in a cowpat the moment you let it off the lead!!!!

   

Gill Dixon runs Pricklington Palace Hedgehog rescue here in Howden. Purely voluntarily and single handedly. Please visit  www.facebook.com/pricklingtonpalace/ to support her work. Donations via www.paypal.me/Dixon1829

A day in the Life of Pricklington Palace.

Gills Hog Blog Number 7, or a Post from the Palace.

A day in the life of Pricklngton Palace.

There is no 'typical' day in the Palace. Hedgehogs come and go. Some are released and some do not survive, such is the nature of rescue. My day today started at 02.30 nipping outside to the Intensive care incubator to give some fluids to a very poorly hedgehog who has undergone surgery for an extensive maggot infested strimmer injury. I had to do this by injection as this one is not able to take anything orally right now. He was very emaciated and weak so has a lot to conquer if he is to survive. This one I have named Duffy as he came from South Duffield. One of those that pulls on the heart strings. I really hope he makes it after everything he has been through.

I went back to bed to get up at 0600 to repeat the process. I cleaned out the other hutches and weighed those residents whilst I was there. One required its second treatment for a very common (but deadly) internal parasite. Easily done and he can be left undisturbed until tomorrow. The others were a quick weigh, clean out and back to their beds.

Last night  a big male hog with an unseen wound was admitted. He was very uncooperative but had some strength which can only be a good thing.. Lots of maggots around and I spent three hours cleaning those out but he has a nasty offensive discharge around his ear/neck and so I will drop him at the vets as soon as it opens. I was able to administer an antibiotic and some multivitamins and a painkiller so hopefully they will be doing some good and he has eaten well  so that's a great sign. I have called this one Captain as he is from Hook. A great find by a friend as it happens.

The funniest thing happened though whilst I was attending to him in that I felt something brush my ankle. With a slight reflex of horror (was it a rat?!) I looked down to see a tiny hedgehog who had such an attitude. If it had been a human I think it would have shouted 'Burger and chips and make it snappy!!' It had come in through the hole we leave for our cat! A self admission!!! He ate hungrily and spat and hissed at me but is now tucked up , full of vitamins and I'll wait for a faecal specimen. Ony 340 grams so seriously underweight. Called this one 'STRUT' and I speak his name in capitals and handle him with care.

The vets have called and Captain has done well (thank you End Cottage team). A great job by them and back to my care for what i hope will be a full recovery. The discharge is a nasty ear infection.

Another strimmer injury which is extensive but healthy looking so if this one has some fight left it will eventually make it back outside to the wild where it belongs. 

I continued my 4hrly fluids for Duffy but sadly he passed away at 2300hrs. All too much, too late for this wee chap. He was warm and comfy at the end though.  Little strut has a massive infestation of  Capillaria (an intestinal nematode). Treatment started and his attitude and appetite should see him make a full recovery.

Night all!!!!

Rescue, rehabilitate, release. 

Gill Dixon runs Pricklington Palace Hedgehog rescue here in Howden. Purely voluntarily and single handedly. Please visit  www.facebook.com/pricklingtonpalace/ to support her work. 

Donations via www.paypal.me/Dixon1829

Gills Hog Blog Number 8, or a Post from the Palace.

The decline of the hedgehog.


I am only too aware that when curled a hedgehog becomes an impenetrable ball. You would think that they are safe from predators and predicaments, but alas that is not the case.

It is forecast that we will lose many of our favourite mammals within the next decade.  The idea of this really saddens me  as hedgehogs  we know for certain  were firmly established in Britain by the middle Pleistocene period about 2 million years ago.

Hedgehogs do have a few natural predators . Foxes, badgers, stoats, mink and even rats are said to take some hedgehogs but by far the greatest risk to hedgehogs is man.

Here is a list of some of the things that are a danger to hedgehogs

• Litter
• Fencing
• Ponds
• Pesticides and poisons (lack of insects).
• Intensive farming
• Lack of habitat
• Machinery/tools/strimmers
• Domestic dogs
• Uncovered drains
• Pot holes
• Motor vehicles
• Ignorance
• Cruelty.

The fragmentation of hedgehogs is a huge factor. Hedgehogs travel up to 2 or more miles a night in their efforts to find enough food but increasingly they are stuck in or out of gardens, Just a small (CD sized hole) in a fence would solve this problem. I am also extremely sad to report that they are still used as footballs in parks and playgrounds and rarely survive such a terrible ordeal!

So the major threat to this wonderful species is man and all the things listed are so easy to obliterate or rectify....by man!

Hedgehogs are experts at getting into trouble. If they can get stuck in it or fall into or over it, it they will. If you want to help them, think outside the box. Look at everything inside out and upside down. And just remember, even when your garden is completely hazard free and there is no possible way a hedgehog can get into trouble, they'll invent a new way.

   

Rescue, rehabilitate, release.

Gill Dixon runs Pricklington Palace Hedgehog rescue here in Howden. Purely voluntarily and single handily. Please visit  www.facebook.com/pricklingtonpalace/ to support her work. Donations via www.paypal.me/Dixon1829

I have found a hedgehog. What should I do?

Gills Hog Blog number 9.

I have found a hedgehog. What should I do?


Hedgehogs get into trouble, health wise for all manner of reasons, but it is fair to say that if you see a hedgehog out in the day it is in trouble (even if it looks fine). The one exception to that is a lactating female who may be out collecting fresh nest material. She will be moving with purpose. June and October are the the significant months for hedgehog births.

If you find a hedgehog who you suspect is ill or injured...

• Do place it in a high sided box or one with a lid. Hedgehogs can climb and will try to escape. 

• Do use gloves or a towel when handling the hogs. Spines are sharp and hedgehogs do carry a number of  zoonotic diseases i.e that can be transferred to humans.

• Do keep the hog warm (even when the ambient temperature seems warm they will get cold if ill) Use a  hot water bottle covered with a towel or a plastic/glass bottle filled with hot water and wrapped with a sock. Or a microwavable heat pad.

• Do offer a drink of water with a sprinkling of sugar or honey in it.

• Do put a towel, fleece or some clean shredded paper in the box. Somewhere for the hedgehog to hide really reduces stress and increases their chance of survival.

• Do put the box somewhere quiet and resist the temptation to show the little creature to everyone that enquires. It will be VERY frightened.

• Do not give cows milk or bread.

• Do not watch it for days thinking its cute or will get better. Hedgehogs go down hill rapidly.

• Do not think it is sunbathing (they don't).

• Do not put it in a cold garage and hope for the best.

• Do not dig up worms or find snails for it (they carry parasites that kill hedgehogs).

Hedgehogs are now in sharp decline and we must do what we can to help them.

Call your nearest rescue (that's me on 07756657992)  or the British Hedgehog preservation Society on 01584 890 801 

If you get no joy, take to your nearest vet. There is no charge.

Rescue, rehabilitate, release.

Gill Dixon runs Pricklington Palace Hedgehog rescue here in Howden. Purely voluntarily and single handily. Please visit  www.facebook.com/pricklingtonpalace/ to support her work. Donations via www.paypal.me/Dixon1829

Dyspraxia Awareness week 2018

Lets raise the roof for Dyspraxia/DCD. October 7-13th.

Each year the Dyspraxia Foundation has a focused awareness week. This year is particularly special because the Charity also celebrates its 30 year anniversary, which is no mean feat for a small but national Charity that relies entirely on its membership fees and voluntary contributions for survival. That means a huge shout of THANKYOU is due to each and every member, fundraiser and ofcourse the army of volunteers who give of their time to raise awareness and support those with dyspraxia/DCD and the Charity who carries them at its heart.

It would be true to say that each and every day is an opportunity to raise awareness of this still largely misunderstood but surprisingly common condition, but a week dedicated to that focuses attention, evokes interest and highlights an important issue that is meaningful to those with dyspraxia and those that support and love them.
This year, the Charity has chosen to focus on  those of secondary school age. It will be concentrating  on mental health and will be sharing some startling results from a recent survey relating to mental health issues.

A most exciting piece of news is that Dr Who which starts on Sunday 7th at 18.45hrs  (the very first night of our awareness week) will introduce a new character who has dyspraxia. Be sure to tune in and see what that means for Ryan, one of the new Doctors trusted companions. .

This really is something of a coup. 25 years ago when I first got involved in raising awareness with the Foundation there was not even one book dedicated to the condition, and now someone with the condition will feature on a legendary and long running television production. Amazing!!!!
Indeed dyspraxia is beginning to break through in other productions. The popular Channel 4 series Ackley Bridge also introduced a character this year and there are others in the pipeline.
But it is not just on television, the Dyspraxia Foundation is making its mark with MP's who can effect change and with whom they have forged some worthwhile relationships, alongside some collaborative projects with other Charities.

Awareness week enables us to publish a press release and already there has been lots of interest from BBC radio and commercial radio channels keen to talk about the condition and share information. We will be launching new information sheets to add to our already extensive range which are free to download here https://dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/about-dyspraxia/information-sheets/

The Foundation has appointed its first Ambassador (your truly) and will be appointing two new Youth Champions from our wonderfully successful and pro active Youth Group who will also be publishing a book of their positive stories. Find them on Facebook  at https://www.facebook.com/groups/DyspraxiaFoundationYouth/

There is far too much to mention in a blog but I would strongly recommend that you follow the Foundation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dyspraxiafoundation/
and twitter @DYSPRAXIAFTDN for all the latest news and stories as they happen.

   

 
So much has been achieved, but there is so much more yet to do and that is where YOU come in. Could you do something to raise awareness and much needed funding? A coffee morning, raffle, cake stall, pub quiz, tombola, sponsored event? There is lots of information free to download from our website, so you can raise awareness whilst having fun. www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk Even by wearing one of our badges you can open up a conversation.

Dyspraxia is important, more awareness is needed so that people with the condition can reach their potential and be supported to live and work successfully. Let's all shout about it next week and raise the roof for DYSPRAXIA.

Dyspraxia/DCD is a lifelong condition affecting gross and fine motor coordination in adults and children. In addition many may experience difficulties with organisational skills, memory, processing speed and, in some cases speech.

The impact of dyspraxia/DCD

The Impact of Dyspraxia/DCD.

In the 25 years of my own research, writing and sharing of information about dyspraxia I am still always met with the same answer when I pose the question
'What is dyspraxia?'

Parents, teachers, professionals will usually respond with 'clumsiness', or lack of coordination. 

That in itself is not incorrect but it is a terrible injustice to a condition which is both subtle and complex in its manifestations and impact.
When I first began to research the condition I came across a paper published in 1908 entitled 'Clumsy Child Syndrome' and since that time there have been a plethora of research papers emphasising the word clumsy which has become ingrained in our understanding of dyspraxia. 
Yes dyspraxic children/adults can be clumsy but often that is something that improves with time and becomes far less noticeable. Indeed adults consistently report that it is the impact of issues other than those related to co ordination that cause problems in the real world in adulthood.

As parents we can become obsessed by 'milestones' such as tying shoe laces and riding a bicycle, as if they are measures of life competence. As adults we appreciate that neither skill is essential for life, but organisation, good time keeping, quick thinking and good social skills are essential skills in a world that's increasingly competitive and judgemental. For an individual with dyspraxia these are the very skills that take effort and energy to master, and they may always be demonstrated with less finesse than that exhibited by non dyspraxics.

An  individual with dyspraxia has to practice 'doing' and 'being' over and over again if they are to reach any level of competence. New skills are not just absorbed and replicated with ease as so many children demonstrate. Life is a struggle and children need timely and sensitive support and understanding if they are to grow into confident adolescents and competent adults. Currently that very understanding and support is all too often lacking, and so adults find themselves struggling to find and keep work and relationships because they have not acquired the skills and confidence to do so . Children all too often find themselves having no option to join in with tasks that they are almost certainly not going to be successful at and this damages self esteem and makes life frustrating and unforgiving.


Dyspraxia/DCD affects thinking and movement and organisation and social understanding and competence, speech and language and perception. It is not just a matter of tripping over things and being heavy footed. The impact is far reaching, ongoing and lifelong. It affects every part of the affected person and can be seen in their responses to situations and the difficulties that they have mastering new skills. They CAN master them though but it takes time and tolerance and alas those very things can be hard to find, especially in the workplace. Everyday actions such as learning to drive, putting on makeup, managing a hairstyle, choosing clothing, catching a train, managing loose change, doing up fastenings, tying a tie, cooking, cleaning, washing up, packing a dishwasher, managing appointments, planning the day, shopping, remembering items and on and on and on are all affected by dyspraxia. It affects life.

It is though hidden so exists without obvious signs of difficulty, sympathy votes or any real desire for people to want to know more.So children and adults with dyspraxia/DCD face prejudice and usually inappropriate judgement on a daily basis.
If a child's difficulties are not recognised or are dismissed as bad behaviour  they may find themselves in a downwards spiral. These children are at real risk of behavioural difficulties, truancy and exclusion. 

So we all have a responsibility to try to understand so that we can offer at the very least empathy if not meaningful support. A child or adult who is struggling to achieve despite their very best efforts deserves to be understood and to be congratulated for the huge effort they put into everyday living.
We have a long way to go but dyspraxia is beginning to break through. Articles, characters on television and in story books now have dyspraxia. Famous personalities with the condition are beginning to talk about it and the Dyspraxia Foundation continues to fly the flag for all those affected by the condition and offers a multitude of free resources on its website www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

On a more positive note people with dyspraxia  are individuals with seemingly undentable tenacity, courage, patience and forgiveness. When you as a parent or a teacher have felt like screaming (or indeed have screamed) and the individual with dyspraxia comes through it all with a beaming smile it takes your breath away.

I have the privilege of knowing many people with dyspraxia (and other coexisting conditions) and I beleive wholeheartedly that these are not people to be pitied, they are not heroic or  necessarily inspirational but they are exceptional because despite the fact that they live in an often confusing and unstable world, they get up each day and try again.  It is for the rest of us to put into place the reasonable adjustments that allows them to demonstrate their remarkable qualities. It is for us as a society to lessen the impact of disability by viewing every individual for the unique and valuable  qualities that they possess.

Diversity makes things better.

Why don't you just belt up!

SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE.  ( the complications of a seemingly simple task for those with dyspraxia/DCD)


In this blog I will unpick the seemingly 'simple' task of sitting in a car and doing up a seat belt.
For those of you who have been following this little series of blogs you will know the following but for those who haven't I need to point out that dyspraxia/DCD affects a great deal more than motor function. Motor difficulties along with a compromised perceptual profile can make the most simple of tasks very complicated indeed.


Motor skills are a function, which involve the precise movement of muscles with the intent to perform a specific act. Most purposeful movement requires the ability to "feel" or sense what one's muscles are doing as they perform the act.

Perception = the way you take in information through your five senses and make that information meaningful to you. Your Perceptual Style acts as a filter between sensation and understanding. It is at the core of who you are and it impacts greatly on how you function.

When we consider successfully doing up a seat belt we add a further skill into the mix and that is the ability to 'cross the midline'.

What is “crossing the midline”?

By the age of 3 or 4 years old, a child should be able to use both sides of the body together. This is the ability to move one hand, foot, or eye into the space of the other hand, foot or eye. We cross midline when we scratch an elbow, cross our ankles, and read left to right. Crossing the midline of your body helps build pathways in the brain and is an important prerequisite skill required for the appropriate development of various motor and cognitive skills. Children who have difficulty crossing the body’s midline often have trouble with skills such as reading, writing, completing self care skills and participating in sports & physical activities. These skills require a type of coordination that comes from experience with “cross-lateral motion,” which is movement involving the left arm and right leg, or the right arm and left leg at the same time. 

Children with dyspraxia/DCD are often(but not always) late to develop this skill Laterality may not be established until late in primary school. I once watched a child actually swap hands in the middle of a page , the left hand writing on the left side and the right hand the right.

The guardian.

They do not recognise that their bodies are made up of two different sides, they lack that awareness and neural pathways are late to establish.

Apply this knowledge to the task in hand and you begin to understand the difficulties.

To successfully do up a seat belt you need to :-

• Pull a taught strip of material across the midline of your body.
• Place a small fiddly rectangular metal object into a hole that it only just fits.
• Press down until you hear an audible click against tension pulling n the opposite directon.
• Manage all the above with very few  visual cues and so much of it is done by 'feel'.

Perceptual and fine motor skills of the highest order required. The very things that are often compromised.

I introduced the idea of backward chaining in my last blog (breaking down a task and working through it in reverse). It is useful in may scenarios. Here it is worth the child learning simply to click the seat belt into place whilst facing it just by sitting on the car seat and looking.

Practice the various components and then one by one bring them together and allow your child to be successful and therefore motivated to do more. If they get stuck go back a step .  It took my son two years to conquer this particular task.

The movement required to cross the midline can be practiced. Some examples of how to help can be found here https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/crossing-midline-exercises-for-kids.html

If you work with an Occupational therapist ask for their help.

By now you should be able to apply this to almost every new skill that a child is asked to learn.....

• Getting dressed
• Doing up shoe laces (and over rated skill in my opinion).
• Walking across a busy dinner hall with a plate of food.
• Putting coins into a slot machine.
• Learning to swim.
• Brushing teeth.
• Wiping one's bottom.
• The list is endless.

All of these things that are difficult can be improved so don't despair.

A great idea is to video your child attempting these new skills. It takes time and practice and patience and empathy for them to be successful. I used to video three tasks each year (getting dressed, using cutlery, riding a bike) and on those days when my boy and I felt that we were getting nowhere we would watch the video from the year before and celebrate how far we had come!!!!!

Please note that this blog focuses on children but bear in mind that dyspraxia/DCD is a life long condition and new tasks later in life can be difficult to master. Ask a young man with dyspraxia who is learning to shave!!!!!
When one begins to understand how extremely difficult these every day tasks are it is really easy to recognise how remarkable people with dyspraxia are. The tenacity and forgiveness they exhibit is often heroic. They get up and try again even in the knowledge that they may well not be successful. We must recognise the effort rather than the achievement, celebrate the improvements and one day look back and realise that he/she CAN do it!!!!! 

For further info and general advice re dyspraxia/DCD www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

Put a sock in it.

SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE.  ( the complications of a seemingly simple task for those with dyspraxia/DCD)

Following on from my blog re toilet troubles I thought I would look at the skills required to successfully put on a pair of socks. One of those 'simple' tasks that other children seem to simply just do. Initially I was going to write about getting dressed as a whole but on closer examination of the subject I realised that each item of clothing is testing and so I have chosen just one.

Socks come in sizes (as we know) so that they fit a foot snuggly and comfortably. For someone with compromised motor and perceptual skills that means that one needs to get a seemingly big item (a foot) into a rather small floppy one (a sock). Before the task is even begun the child with dyspraxia may visualise their failure at it.

The task requires good body awareness, an awareness of one's position in space, stability, flexibility, and very good fine motor control. All things that a person with dyspraxia has difficulty with.

Just to remind you:- 

Motor skills are a function, which involve the precise movement of muscles with the intent to perform a specific act. Most purposeful movement requires the ability to "feel" or sense what one's muscles are doing as they perform the act.

Perception = the way you take in information through your five senses and make that information meaningful to you. Your Perceptual Style acts as a filter between sensation and understanding. It is at the core of who you are and it impacts greatly on how you function.

If we simply leave the child to the task, the end result will at best probably be odd socks put on poorly with the heel uppermost and a huge number of creases which will cause sensory issues when the foot is put into a shoe.A worse the child will become so frustrated they may experience a 'melt down' and the whole family is left feeling wretched.

How we can help.

Buy socks that have a good visual reference. Coloured toes and heels for example.

Try and buy really stretchy socks with plenty of 'give'.

Factor in some extra time to allow your child reasonable opportunity for success. I you are in a rush put the socks on for the child if that saves tempers and frustrations (if you are going to have to 'give in' eventually then give in  quickly)..

Backward chain the activity. SO......

Consider the process in its entirety and break it down thus...

• Place the sock on the foot and over the heel initially and ask the child to pull it up the leg. Allow them to be successful at this several times.

• Place the sock over the foot and stop before the heel. Allow the child to pull it over the heel and up the leg. Again opportunity for  practice makes perfect.

• Place the sock over the toes and ask the child to complete the task. Lots of repetition of this stage will increase confidence and foster a 'can do' attitude.

• Let the child have a go at the whole process.

JOB DONE!!!

Chaining is a technique used in to teach individuals with developmental disabilities complex tasks by breaking them down into discrete responses or individual behaviors. With a backward chaining procedure, all of the behaviors in a single task are completed by the trainer except the last step.

I appreciate that by doing this for every task the parent/supporter may get exasperated and/or exhausted but by breaking down tasks into manageable steps we enable the child to succeed and in doing so they will approach the next task with greater motivation. 

This works well for adults too who may experience a sense of panic when facing a new task socially or at work. A reasonable adjustment would be for someone to break down the tasks expected of them and allow the individual to practice them in a non threatening and relaxed situation until they has been mastered. A little time and patience to start with will pay dividends.

Toilet Troubles. Dyspraxia/DCD.

SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE.  ( the complications of a seemingly simple task for those with dyspraxia/DCD)

Task 1. Toilet troubles.

Dyspraxia/DCD is a common, lifelong condition which affects some  6% of the population to a significant degree. It affects, fine and gross motor coordination, organisation, perception and thought and sometimes speech and language.

Having lived with a son with a severe degree of the condition for the last 30 years it is fair to say that I have watched him really struggle to manage the most simple of tasks. I have often absolutely ached to do something for him as I observe him desperately trying  to plan and organise himself to make a meaningful movement towards an end goal.  All the things that other people just 'do' have taken a painstaking amount of preparation, execution and practice until the task is mastered. Even then it is extremely difficult for him to transfer that learning into a new set of circumstances and/or environment. When faced with something new, the panic shows, even now. Exhausting for him and exasperating for those offering support. 
I thought I might write a few blogs which explore these seemingly simple tasks so that those supporting/affecting the child can be mindful of the difficulties that dyspraxia imposes upon them.

One of those seemingly simple task is using a toilet successfully. This requires excellent motor and perceptual skills. 

Motor skills are a function, which involve the precise movement of muscles with the intent to perform a specific act. Most purposeful movement requires the ability to "feel" or sense what one's muscles are doing as they perform the act.

Children with dyspraxia often have a compromised perceptual profile.

Perception = the way you take in information through your five senses and make that information meaningful to you. Your Perceptual Style acts as a filter between sensation and understanding. It is at the core of who you are and it impacts greatly on how you function.

Children with dyspraxia require a broad base for balance and so this may require the removal of all the lower clothing in order to sit on a toilet with legs wide apart (remembering that putting those clothes back on is another very difficult process). The child is asked to sit on a large gaping hole (most of us do not have the privilege of a child size toilet) and this can result in an unstable child teetering over that very a large hole, feet swinging in the air and clinging onto the sides of the bowl for dear life.

Motor and perceptual differences  have far reaching repercussions. Poor depth perception for example means that the child has no idea how the deep the hole is that he/she is balancing above (how would you like to wee over a well????!!!) .

We now have a child sitting on something that may be like a bottomless pit, legs dangling affording no base for balance or proprioceptive feedback, and we ask them to 'just quickly use the toilet'.  If they manage that, we then ask them to wipe an area that they are unable to see, meaning they have to let go of the thing they are hanging onto for security,  because of their  co ordination and balance difficulties. We are almost asking for the impossible. No amount of promises, star charts, bribes or encouragement will help. The child does not have the skills in place to conquer the task in hand.

Such a 'simple' every day task becomes a daily trauma, and can lead to children refusing to go to the toilet (chronic constipation) and/or developing real phobias around defecation. 

We MUST be mindful of what we are asking and break the task down in our heads into it's component parts and try to visualise the task through the eyes of the child who views the world differently and live in an unstable and unpredictable environment.

What might we do to help?

Try some bottom wiping movements. For us it was passing things to each other through our legs, replicating the wiping motions of a hand . Goodness knows what an observant window cleaner would have thought as I passed tins of beans from cupboards to children between my legs!

Choose clothes that are easy to remove, like jogging bottoms and something with a logo on the front to make dressing easier. School trousers might have flies replaced with a velcro strip or a strip down one side seam for ease of removal. Choose velcro or slip on shoes and socks with coloured toes and heels for good visual reference.

 

Adapt the toilet to give the child somewhere to plant their feet (flat) and has handles to hold for support and security . If your child is lucky enough to work with an occupational therapist ask his or her advice. 

Use some moist toilet tissue for cleansing and let the child master one thing at a time.  Removing clothes quickly and easily could be a good first step and then perhaps sitting still and securely could be  the next.........until the whole process is mastered. This will take time and patience and positive reinforcement.

Have a good routine, perhaps 'train' a bowel action in the evening at home with a good high fibre tea, and then the child can go straight into the shower afterwards. This also saves the problems faced with using an often busy (and stressful) toilet block at school. 

Don't force the issue. Because others say it is time that your child should be doing something doesn't make them right. Remember your child is an expert and being him/her and children with dyspraxia tend to take longer to master things and may be older than their peers when they do so. That is just fine. Life is not a race. 

Info re bowel training https://www.aboutconstipation.org/bowel-retraining.html

Proprioception = Proprioception (or kinesthesia) is the sense though which we perceive the position and movement of our body, including our sense of equilibrium and balance