How do you find out if you're dyspraxic?

Question

I had a couple of teachers at school who thought I might be, but what's the official way of finding out?

Answer 1

Seeing an educational psychologist is probably your best bet (especially if you're still in school), although an occupational therapist may also be able to give you a diagnosis. An ed. psych. may be free if you can get referred by your school/college (or, if in the UK, see someone on the NHS). If you have to pay, it can be expensive (about £150 would be a reasonable, though rough, guess).

If you're in the UK, DANDA (http://www.danda.org.uk/) or the Dyspraxia Foundation (http://www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/) may be able to help you find someone who can offer a diagnosis.

Answer 2

Problems may include:

Difficulties in adapting to a structured school routine
Difficulties in Physical Education lessons
Slow at dressing. Unable to tie shoe laces
Barely legible handwriting
Immature drawing and copying skills
Limited concentration and poor listening skills
Literal use of language
Inability to remember more than two or three instructions at once
Slow completion of class work
Continued high levels of motor activity
Hand flapping or clapping when excited
Tendency to become easily distressed and emotional
Problems with co-ordinating a knife and fork
Inability to form relationships with other children
Sleeping difficulties, including wakefulness at night and nightmares
Reporting of physical symptoms, such as migraine, headaches, feeling sick

Secondary school age:
Dyspraxia is an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement. Associated with this there may be problems of language, perception and thought.

Dyspraxia is an immaturity in the way the brain processes information and this results in messages not being properly or fully transmitted. Estimates put the number of children experiencing the condition at between 2 and 10% of the population. Boys are four times

In some cases Dyspraxia is not identified until the child reaches secondary school. He/she may have managed to cope through their previous schools with only minor difficulties. However, the structure of secondary schools may prove to be too difficult for the child and it is at this point that problems manifest themselves especially in view of the organisational skills that are required in secondary education. If Dyspraxia is not identified and the child enters secondary education there can be such a high incidence of low self esteem and disaffection that behavioural difficulties are evident.

Answer 3

you take a test like you would at school