Dyspraxia?

Bryan and I took Anna to her OT evaluation today. We had a very nice OT, Ariane, who played and did activities with Anna while also talking to us. We went to Julie Kraska and Associates near the mall. They have a very nice facility with a big room for swings, tunnels, and mats, as well as small therapy rooms with toys and activities. Anna has a tendency to want to do something, do it for only a few minutes, then say "I'm done." She often quits when things are hard or when she can't get it right away. Ariane said that these behaviors show she might have dyspraxia, a sensory processing disorder that makes it hard for her to plan and complete fine motor tasks. When I look online, I don't feel like she fits a lot of the descriptions for people with dyspraxia, but I'm going to wait until we have our full evaluation meeting to decide. I still think she has sensory seeking behaviors that contribute to making things difficult for her. Some of her behaviors also cross the ADHD lines, but my gut is not leaning towards ADHD. We'll meet with Ariane in a few weeks to determine Anna's OT needs.

I'm ok with it. Assigning a name to some of her behaviors helps me feel like there's a reason some things are so hard for her, not just that I'm a sucky mom that can't control her child. I felt like that for a long time, you know, that I had this kid driving me crazy, and I couldn't help her. Things have gotten easier as she's gotten older, but it's still constant work. My hopes are that with speech, OT, and preschool at LHSC things will start to be easier for her - following directions, having some self control, finishing things she starts, focusing her attention on the task, and playing with friends, us, or by herself.

Today I am thankful for:

• Bryan coming to Anna's appointment


• helpful and kind therapists


• warm weather