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The dyspraxia myth
By Michael Weber, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 16.07.04Forget about an academic education for your son," announced the form teacher. "He's not clever enough." Unexpectedly, the annual parents' evening at the private school in north London, charging £3,500 a term, had become a nightmare.
"Send him to a low-grade secondary school and take him to an educational psychologist," directed the teacher about my nine-year-old son.
"Why?" I asked, staggered by the startling directive. "Don't you know? He's dyspraxic." Bewildered by the middle-aged teacher's judgment, I wanted to ask a dozen questions, but the annual session was terminated. "I haven't any more time," she declared. After barely three minutes, I was dismissed from the room.
That abrupt exchange started four years of misery and the progressive humiliation of a boy convinced by psychologists and his teachers that he was suffering a brain defect which permanently impaired his intelligence.
As I was to learn, dyspraxia is the new dyslexia, a medical term now bandied about by both parents and teachers who sometimes use it as an excuse for academic underachievers.
Technically, it is a condition affecting a person's judgment of space, and manifests itself in the child's inability to understand how to juxtapose shapes such as triangles and squares, or by their hapless failure to co-ordinate their physical movements. There is no cure, say the experts, but treatment and conditioning allegedly help.
Clearly, a proportion are genuine sufferers - but others are children who have been categorised for a brutal reason. Namely, that private schools prefer to blame the child than admit to teaching inadequacies in their schools. To protect second-rate teachers, private schools prefer to label those casualties of inadequate teaching as "dyspraxic".
Yet far from being dyspraxic, by the end of four years, my son was declared to be completely healthy and academically excellent. In the meantime, his self-confidence had been undermined, his education had been damaged and I had spent nearly £20,000 on a small army of private teachers and educational psychologists.
Just how the educated parents of four children, paying huge fees to a London private school, could believe the "classification" of their child as dyspraxic is a woeful tale, and my experience is not unique.
Parents in London paying to extricate their children from poor state education have also become the victims of incompetent teachers and self-interested psychologists. Fearful of challenging the headmasters and teachers, parents are quietly accepting bogus diagnoses rather than risk the expulsion of their children from school.
Not surprisingly, the form teacher's diagnosis of my child was alarming. Nevertheless, her conclusion appeared initially to be justified. Indeed, his educational performance was lacklustre. Compared to others of his age, his reading, arithmetic and retention of knowledge was poor. Unlike his two older siblings who would all be accepted at prestigious Oxford colleges with outstanding A-levels, his attainment at eight years old had been considerably lower than required. Indeed, I had been puzzled by his failure to develop but was not overly worried.
After all, I reassured myself, children develop different skills at different rates, and he was a very gregarious boy, a great raconteur.
The teacher's prognosis seemed decisive. "His IQ," she declared "is very low." Yet I still harboured doubts. Rather than make an appointment with the educational psychologist nominated by the school, I consulted personal friends who are shrinks. On their recommendation, I took my son to his first educational psychologist in Finchley. I returned, as ordered, 90 minutes later. She appeared flustered. "I need another 40 minutes," she said. Then she explained her confusion. "Orally, his IQ is very high, but his written IQ is low." She could not explain the discrepancy.
Another friendly shrink was visited with the same puzzling result. Finally, I succumbed to the school's educational psychologist. She was stern and emphatic. "Dyspraxia," she pronounced. There was no cure but there were lessons to teach the boy how to cope. I was referred to another expert.
So began 18 months of after-school sessions with puzzles and videos, complemented by special teaching from two other psychologists to teach reading. In addition, most evenings a tutor came to the house to help my son with his homework - the cost was phenomenal. By the end of the second year, the situation was probably worse. He was in the bottom set at school and scored miserable marks in exams. He was below the border line to pass the common entrance. Then came enlightenment.
"Your son," announced one educational psychologist suddenly, "is not dyspraxic." "What?" I exclaimed. "He just hasn't been taught maths," she continued. "It has undermined his self-confidence to learn everything else at school." The revelation was astounding. She recommended a maths tutor.
"Most of my work," the maths tutor told me "is with pupils from your son's school. They can't teach maths." Neither could he.
Desperate, I was told about a maths tutor who it was said could perform miracles, at £90 per hour. To save my son, there was no choice.
"No one has taught him maths," announced the miracle worker, "and he's got no self-confidence." Teachers at the school, he discovered, regularly humiliated my son because of his poor results. "Can you do anything?" I pleaded. "Oh, yes," he said. It was October. The exams were in June.
Over the following eight months I witnessed the most astonishing transformation. A cowed child became a confident student. Understanding maths transformed his mastery of every other subject. His common entrance mark in maths was 83 per cent and he achieved five A grades (over 75 per cent) with the rest Bs (over 65 per cent).
When I cautiously raised with one or two other parents the rather sensitive subject of poor teaching in the school, I was amazed by the response. Oh didn't you know, 75 per cent of the boys doing Common Entrance have private tuition at home? Nobody had declared their hand until after the exams. And when I told my story to an old friend, Anne Alvarez, a well known child psychologist, she told me: "Dyspraxia and other labels put on children are often too loosely used. Many diagnostic labels are used as wastebaskets."
Our son's headmaster recently announced the appointment of a new maths teacher. We later learned that this new teacher had not even passed A-level maths.
Reader views (30)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I can comment on two levels- My husband has dyspraxia and has had to face the humiliation of being told he was thick and lazy at school. This dented his self confidence but today he teaches English and actually finding out he had the condition transformed him. He could move on from being branded non academic.
I still shudder to think of duped parents who think that a private education is the best place for their kids. Teachers there are not required to be trained and a lot are employed on whether they can spin a good interview.
Find a good state school and support your child at home. I am a teacher too and it is the children whose parents are too busy to hear them read or help with homework who suffer most.
- Kara Wadham, yeovil
Where the school went wrong was in advising an ed. psych.
When our daughter's English teacher suggested she might be dyspraxic, the route we were told to take was via our GP, the paediatric health service, to an occupational therapist. She was able to make a correct diagnosis of the level and nature of the dyspraxia, and with our daughter's full involvement, come up with the sort of support she needed.
Whether or not your son was/is dyspraxic, you were, it seems to me, misled by a gravy train of private practitioners who were not competent to assess his situation.
Dyspraxia is no bar to educational achievement provided it is properly dealt with. Our daughter has gone on to obtain a good degree at Cambridge, and an excellent career start.
- Anna, Scotland
I have dyspraxia aswell.
- Dreama, Dartford, Kent
I can relate to your son in many ways. I too did poor in school. I was seriously depressed and frustrated at myself because I knew I wasn't stupid as I got A-s in all my languages and was reading books that the majority of my classmates who performed better than me in school wouldn't even dream of picking up. I was taken to a psychologist when I was fourteen. I was then told I had dyspraxia. I scored far above average verbally but in the performance(written) section I scrored very low so in the end I came out average. After a while I started doing well in school and I now get many A-s. So there is hope for people who struggle with school.
- Seán, Ireland
Dispraxia is real.I suffer with it and suffer is the word
- David Thomas, Blackpool UK
My 12 year old son Farrell has recently been diagnosed with dyspraxia after I paid privately. I cried when I was told as I felt three things, heartache for how long he had struggled, anger for the times i had approached his old school and also relief for now finally we had an answer. It was as if suddenly his whole childhood was explained, his hate of school, his writing, his lack of understanding situations, poor body posture, flat feet the list is endless. There are so many things i look back on and get upset about for example when in year 4 he came home in tears after been screamed at by his friends for loosing them the football game because he was so rubbish. At the time we didn't know he had such poor co-ordination or that the speed and demands of a football game would simply be to much for Farrell, but the hurt so quickly forgotten by his friends would keep our son awake for weeks. We are very lucky as we moved town just before our son began secondary school therefore he was able to make new friends judged on his personality and not on how he had performed in class since the age of four, as it is very easy to be labled a daydreamer. My husband and I are now able to look forward with a new understanding and a gratefulness that we have a wonderful intelligent, caring boy with a great group of mates and we wouldn't swop him for the world.
- Caroline, Hertfordshire
Having had a child in the 80's ,she was only diagnosed as having dyslexia,but it was apparant that her problems were much more deep,and I think she was definatly suffering from dyspraxia.All the usual syndroms, ,unable to concentrate for more than a few minutes,clummsyness, falling over,etc.School was a 'no go' area,with teachers never taking the time ,and forever being negative,she somehow managed to scrape through the system, (with a few private teachers when things really got beyond her) and is now in university ,hoping to become a translater(french, spanish and russian)She also does rhythmical gymnastics,which definatly helped her co-ordination and awerness of her own body and space,as well as being an artistic outlet,and helping her to make friends.
I sometimes look at her and can't believe the progress she has made.I have always been there for her, and I undoubtedly have been a certain'rock',encouraging her along the way in all she accomplished.
My advice is listen to your kids and try to find a way through the maze in the education system,plus find an outlet in an artistic or sporting activity.
I wa dreading adolesence ,and it actually was nothing compared to the years before ,as she was more confident and aware of her capabilities.
It is definatly not an illness ,and does become less apparant with time and help.
Good luck to all the parents out there,I feel for you, but your efforts will be rewarded.
- Karen, mulhouse. france
After reading this webpage, I have just discoverd, at the age of 56, that I have been suffering from dyspraxia for as long as I can remember! Professionals who have had the opportunity to assess me, have avoided doing so, when I mentioned that I thought I was probably dyslexic. It has blighted my working life.
- Carole Page, London
'Dyspraxia is an excuse for laziness'...HOW I HATE THAT QUOTE. Yes, Dyspraxia is often misdiagnosed, and that makes it an absolute nightmare for all the families coping with 'genuine' dyspraxia. We knew that my son had motor co-ordination problems from the age of 4, when we realised that he was not running, jumping and climbing in the way that most children do. He is extremely intelligent, could tell the time at the age of 2 and tell you how a hovercraft worked. His mathematics was and is superb..sorry to dispel that myth. After 3 years of begging for an assessment in his school because he could not keep up with the writing, we eventually had to pay privately to see a specialist, with no doubts 'Dyspraxia' was confirmed. We persevered with the useless local schools for a further three years and even after diagnosis, still NO help in the classroom at all, we finally removed him from school and home-educated him. Our son completed his first Open University Module at the age of just 14 (A level grade) and completed a further two more before starting on a Level 3 Diploma at a local college at 16. Our son haS no G.C.S.E.'s, he was accepted on his previous work and merit. Dypraxia is a complicated disability with many genres, but it certainly is not evidence of a child lacking academic ability..that is a schools perception and helps to make life easier in the pigeon hole process. Once the pressure is removed that makes your child feel 'different', they excel..ours has!
- Jan Young, Isle of Wight
My daughter has recently been diagnosed as dyspraxic. She is 18! At the age of 7 she had various tests done but no diagnosis and therefore help was forthcoming. She manged to get through school, then college overcoming tremendous difficulties, but like Dean she accquired her own coping strategies and we did our utmost to help and support her. On top of all these problems she is also hearing impaired and wears hearing aids in both ears and still did not receive any help from the education system other than being monitored at 'school action plus'. It was a case of well..she's meeting our targets what's the problem?
Last September she took up a place at the Royal Veterinary College to study veterinary medicine for six years.
The RVC have been fantastic. For the first time in her education someone has realised how difficult things are for her and helped her tremendously both with her dyspraxia and hearing impairment and she is finally getting the help that she needs.
As Dean said earlier please don't let dyspraxia, or anything else for that matter, write off your children's academic future. They can, and do, overcome horrendous difficulties which puts some adults to shame.
My daughter has had to work much, much harder than her contemporaries to get where she is today, but she got there through sheer grit and determination. I for one am very,very proud of her.
- Maude, North Lincs, UK
I have a 12 year old daughter who started High School in September. She has had 13 detentions, for incomplete or not handed in homework. My husband and I were called into school to discuss this. Obviously we were, very concerned and told the head of year that we would do everything we could to work with the school to ensure my daughter completed her homework and handed it in on time. however,I do have concerns that my daughter shows some signs of dyspraxia, such as, poor posture,clumsy gait, fall's and trips a lot. She is very over sensitive to pain,drops and spills things, has little sense of time(although she can tell the time) is messy and cluttered, is slow to finish tasks and can daydream/ wander. As a young child she always enjoyed being creative and I encouraged this but,when she was in year 6 and preparing for SATS. the teacher told me she would be very surprised if she achieved the required level 4s due to her lack of concentration and effort. I asked a friend who was a teacher to tutor her for the exams and she did achieve level 4s.I stopped encouraging the creative side in my daughter due to the pressures of exams and school work. I feel confused and unsure of how best to help my daughter. Should I seek a professional opinion? and how do I go about this.
- Paula,, Manchester,UK
As a specialist teacher in a private school, in the past ten years I have known and supported many students with dyspraxia. I certainly agree with the comments that each one is unique in their patterns of specific difficulties. In my experience, they commonly have problems with maths - but one of them later read maths at Oxford! Some have problems with spelling and languages - but one severely dyspraxic boy scored the highest mark in a spelling test out of 90 Year 7 boys, and gained two good GCSE passes in modern languages! They nearly always need some level of learning support at some point in school, and extra time in exams.
Writing is usually something of a challenge, and using a laptop in class can make a big difference. Their most common difficulties have been in organisation, confidence and self-esteem.
If their Maths is weak, they experience this difficulty pretty well every day they are in school, which is why I agree that they need help with this as a priority as it saps their energy and motivation for other subject work.
I do not think we should generalise about private or state schools being good or bad with supporting students with specific difficulties - but there is a need for more education and training for teachers in recognising and managing children with dyspraxia. It is not a myth!
- Tony, St Albans, England
A message to Dean, Yorkshire.
I have a 10 year old daughter with dyspraxia, and i found your mail very uplifting and positive. Well done in all you have achieved, i only hope my child can do as well as you have. Thanks
- Jane, manchester
I yearn for the day when dyspraxia and 'co-morbids' are no longer termed as impairments, disorders, and afflictions, it's insulting. It's a simple matter of us 'disordered' types learning in a different way to others, a neurodiversity. I have been diagnosed dyspraxic, dyslexic, dyscalculate and ADHD, and it's part of who I am, I make and sell my art, excelled in art studies, music and creative writing. These 'disorders' are quite common in creative people - perhaps the creative is being pathologised in a dull, consumer culture. Imagine if we lived in a world led by art, storytelling, visual language and expression and all you folk with no creative abilities were called 'disordered'. It's worth considering.
I am not disordered, I do not suffer from..., I am not afflicted.
- Fonz, UK
I read all these comments and I feel so proud of everyone who has gone through this, I too have dyspraxia and sometimes it's no walk in the park - some days. I recently finished University doing a graphic design degree and I got a 2:1. Having dyspraxia has made me work harder because I know on some days I wont be able to do anything right, so on good days i try to make good use of them. All you parents worried about your children don't worry too much your kids will survive through this they will have coping mechanisms they may not be able explain how they deal with situations but they will. I don't even know how to put into words how I cope I just do and I'm 23 now, it just learned behaviour you teach yourself. Just alway support them what direction they decide to go down, my parents always supported me, and still do of which I am very grateful. Also don't let the word academic put you off thing people with dyspraxia furthering the education let it be the fire in your belly to prove all the doubters wrong. Sorry this sounds like a rant that is going nowhere I'll leave it at that, good luck to all you guys.
- Dean, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
congratulations. an article like yours does wonders for children with dyspraxia it is attitudes like this that put the disability issue back decades!
- Siobhan Daly, CORK CITY
I'm glad your son was able to find the help he needed. It's true that terms like Dyslexia and Dyspraxia get bandied about too easily.
Actually being dyspraxic, I can tell you that it's not as great a bar to achievement as your son's private school teacher implied. During high school I was probably the only kid who was in top sets and special needs at the same time. I have recently graduated with a 2:1 in philosophy with creative writing, and am going on to do an MA.
Having dyspraxia is not the same as being stupid either - I have an IQ of around 130. (Not amazing I know, but fairly high.)
- Thomas Rickarby, Hull, England
I just want to know if dyslexia can cause a person to have serve delay in speech. Just as a heads up I am talking about a friend of mine who is 23.
- Jason, Newfoundland, Canada
Dyspraxia also affects ability to process auditory information. How much of your son's problems were that he just didn't 'get' what was being said to him? Dyspraxic children are visual learners and do much better with being 'shown' how to do something rather than have it 'explained'.
Your fantastic maths teacher may have used visual techniques which essentially unlock the difficulty and allow the child to blossom in ways he could never have imagined.
Dyspraxia is also caused by having an inappropriate centre of balance. If you can change this to a more favourable place the co-ordination issues will go.
So glad to hear about the 'happy ending'.
- Sarah Dixon, Guildford, Surrey
I would be very interested to learn of the name and contact details of the EP who came up with the diagnosis re Maths.
Many thanks.
- Imelda Dempsey, Hertfordshire
Dyspraxia is not a myth. Bad teaching does not invalidate a learning disability. And for all those who say it affects intelligence? - 3As and 1B at A-Level and a place at top ten university. It only stops you if you let it.
- Jo, Durham, U.K
I myself am dyspraxic im 14 going on 15 and quite frankly dyspraxia does not affect intelligence but really if anything it affects things like coordination as when I run I used to trip over quite a bit but these days not so much
It's true that dyspraxia cannot be cured but it can be coped with we just keep adapting to our clumsyness read as much about dyspraxia as possible as it will help also try to get teachers aware of dyspraxia because I had to show my French teacher a book that my mother got me about dyspraxia for him to even believe I had a problem.
- Garth Varley, Knottingley Wakefield
My son had been diagnosed as having dyspraxic tendencies, but it is not bad enough for him to be given any extra help at school, and we have seen his performance going steadily down at school. The worst part has been to watch his confidence and self believe crumble away, and he now believes that he is stupid. I get the feeling that schools are just not interested in pupils who are middle of the road, but need a little more help along the way.
- Carmen, Buckinghamshire, England
I am an 33 year old woman who was diagnosed with dyspraxia about 3 years ago. My family suggested that I should be tested during my first year of college. I had decided to get my bachelors in New Media. Upon leaving school and failing everything, my school said college would never happen for me.
My class in England was full of students who had various difficulties in learning. It really felt like the school gave us a room and forgot about us. The thing I found most frustrating was the schools lack of interest in finding out what interested us, where we had difficulties and or how to help us.
My confidence was shot. Finding a job meant low level jobs like the fastfood industries, and cleaning. I left England and went to work in America. I became a nanny. After while I became very self conscious about my inabilities to help the kids with there homework, which I was supposed to provide. This prompted me to go and get my education.
Going to college has been a long road. Before I started my bachelors, I gained my associate degree in America, the equivalent in England is a two year course, I think that is an HND. The associate degree helped me into my bachelors. I should say I did the associate degree part time and the bachelors full time, of which I’ll be graduating from in May 08.
So what ever your age, level of education or if you are a parent, don’t give up. Keep looking and pay attention to what interests them or you.
- Helen Cross, New York.
I am 19, and I myself am dyspraxic, and I can say to you, without a doubt, that it does not take any effect on how intelligent your children are capable of being. I was failed by a school that did not know the first thing about dyspraxia. You as parents have not got the option of leaving it to the school to help your children, so read all you can on dyspraxia, make sure you have your child seen by someone who has knowledge of the subject, beyond reading a short description. Somebody here already wrote, every dixpraxic child is different, you have to know exactly the extent of the problems your child is suffering from. I recommend, if your child is diagnosed professionally, as being dyspraxic, that you read, and take advice from "Dyspraxia - The Hidden Handicap" by Dr Amanda Kirby, I read it recently, and had it been available to me when I was in primary school, and growing up as a teenager, it would have helped me enormously.
be under no illusions that your child will be incapable of learning, and receiving an education, you have to help, as much as you can though. and encourage reading from a young age, and work on verbal skills as writing is often a difficulty.
- Samuel, London, England
My son suffers from severe dyspraxia he has been diagnosed privately and education won't statement him. He is coming up to ten years old and is almost three years behind his class. I am at the end of my tether of what to do, can anyone gives advice please?
- Karen Jones, March, Cambs
I too have had problems with school and my dyspraxic son. Nathaniel was diagnosed as dyspraxic in 2004. This diagnosis was due to our knowing something was not right and getting him assessed by an occupational therapist on our own. The school picked up on none of it and made no allowances for the problems he encountered at juniors. To cap it all we were then told that our intelligent son was 'no academic'.
Eventually he became so unhappy and stressed that I took him out of school and had him home tutored for two and a half years. Being at home isn't the answer for everyone but for Nathaniel, it has given him back his confidence and returned him to the happy child he once was.
And as for the 'not academic' child he was labelled - he has just won a scholarship to the secondary school we chose for him. We always knew he was bright but the school began to destroy his ability to do well. He will return to secondary school in September and cant wait for it.
My advice would be to not trust what you are being told if it feels wrong. Trust your instincts about your child/grandchild. Also, read as much as you can about dyspraxia (every dyspraxic child is different). Schools (and especially some prep schools) have no idea what they are talking about and no real understanding of dyspraxia.
- Lucy, Stratford upon Avon, Warks
My son who is 10 has been diagnosed with ADHD in 2003 and yesterday he was diagnosed with dyspraxia yesterday 10/03/08. Can anyone help?
- Joanne Dunbar, Glasgow, UK
My seven year old grandson goes to a small village primary school. During the last week of term in July 2007, my daughter was informed by the headmistress and his class teacher that he had dyspraxia. His doctor confirmed this, but we were advised that he only had a 'mild form' of the condition. His problems were in dressing after swimming and PE and some activities during PE. He found using scissors awkward and was slow and untidy with his handwriting. He had a tendency to daydream and consequently was always near the last to finish a piece of work. So late in the term, no assistance was offered to him.
In September the headmistress left and my grandson moved into the junior section of the same school. The school now had a new headmistress and he had a new class teacher. Since then, he has been reluctant to go to school, and there has been a few occasions where he has been made to stay in to finish work, which has entailed writing, colouring and cutting. More than once, at tidy up time, his work has been put in the bin by exuberant helpers, keen to clear the tables. He has been made to redo some of the lost work, as his reaction was not quick enough to prevent it being thrown away. My daughter feels he is being unfairly punished, and that no allowances are being made for his condition. The relationship between her and his teacher has become strained, but obviously my daughter feels she has to support her son. I thought that 'every child matters'!
- Jenny, Gloucestershire, England
I have experienced something very similar to your son. I was diagnosed with Dyspraxia at the age of two and all the way through my primary education was disgarded by teachers as being lazy, stupid and simply not intelligent enough to be at school. My head teacher even suggested I take a year away from school before attending a "special needs school". I later researched this special needs school and found that it was attended by people with very different problems and needs to myself. At that same meeting my Head teacher also told my parents that it would be pointless for me to sit my GCSE examinations, as I would come out of them with worthless grades.
Later that year I left the all girls private school, which I shall leave anonymous, and went to a local state school where I went on to pass 10 GCSE's, including maths which was "hopeless case". I am now in the Sixth form at my local state school where I am doing very well.
I feel that the private school I attended crushed my confidence and then brushed me to one side. I am proud to say I have Dyspraxia because when I look at all that I have had to overcome, I feel a great sense of ahceivement. I think that the treatment I received at the Private school I attended was absoloutely appauling and I do not understand how they are allowed to get away with it.
- Laura, Suffolk, England
