Dear Jacqui, We are having a difficult time. My daughter in Year 4 has just been diagnosed with traits of Asperger’s and dyspraxia. We think she also has dyslexia as she is struggling with reading and writing. She is very unhappy at school and is sometimes bullied. She can let out a lot of her frustrations at home. We are concerned about the future, and her education.
I understand your concern and you need support when you receive any diagnosis. It is common to have overlapping difficulties which impacts all areas of daily living. For example, dyspraxia may display as: poor handwriting, unclear speech, being unable to tie shoe laces or ride a bike, and some Asperger’s traits as: difficulties reading other people’s body language or understanding the intended spoken message from the context, being rigid in thought patterns, and having specific sensory issues i.e. not tolerating noisy environments. This will make daily life at school very difficult; in the classroom, in PE and socially in the playground. This can affect the child emotionally and often all the frustration is let out at home. The school needs to address the bullying when it occurs as this is never acceptable. In addition, you mention that you think there is dyslexia too. I highly recommend a dyslexia assessment and to start therapy to manage all the aspects of Asperger’s, dyspraxia and dyslexic type problems. At my practice, I work jointly with an Occupational therapist to help the child holistically. With therapy support and the right strategies in place at home and school, there is hope for the future.
