Dysgraphia
It's a scary word, but the more research I do the more I realize that it FITS. Motor dysgraphia. That's what the child development folks at Ty's school suspect. We've know for a while now that something was going on with him. He has been growing increasingly frustrated with school and the stress has been eating at him. This year the problems have really started to manifest. Add in some trouble with bullies and poor Tyler has been a total wreck.
It's been hard. Every parent wants (or should want) what is best for their child. For them to be healthy, happy, educated and well adjusted. Sometimes reaching those goals is a challenge. Lord knows I have some friends who found out early on that their parenting path was going to be bumpy. Parenting is hard enough without having extra problems heaped on. But they have faced their challenges with grace and have become strong advocates for their kids' well being. I hope we can follow their example.
We have a long way to go yet. Doctors, testing, referrals, therapy and so on. I am just praying for strength and guidance. The universe has a way of doing me a solid when I need it. I've been lucky that way. Now I just have to get past the guilt. Making poor Tyler write things over and over...trying to get him to be neater. I just cry when I think about how difficult it's been for him and how he couldn't TELL us. He didn't know how to explain. He didn't know why tying shoes and doing buttons was so hard. Why he was so clumsy and always falling down and ripping his pants. *sigh*
Back to doing my homework. Knowledge is power, I always say.
It's been hard. Every parent wants (or should want) what is best for their child. For them to be healthy, happy, educated and well adjusted. Sometimes reaching those goals is a challenge. Lord knows I have some friends who found out early on that their parenting path was going to be bumpy. Parenting is hard enough without having extra problems heaped on. But they have faced their challenges with grace and have become strong advocates for their kids' well being. I hope we can follow their example.
We have a long way to go yet. Doctors, testing, referrals, therapy and so on. I am just praying for strength and guidance. The universe has a way of doing me a solid when I need it. I've been lucky that way. Now I just have to get past the guilt. Making poor Tyler write things over and over...trying to get him to be neater. I just cry when I think about how difficult it's been for him and how he couldn't TELL us. He didn't know how to explain. He didn't know why tying shoes and doing buttons was so hard. Why he was so clumsy and always falling down and ripping his pants. *sigh*
Back to doing my homework. Knowledge is power, I always say.
Comments
I thought my world was falling apart when I found out, but like you, it just fit. I knew even before the official diagnosis that there was something the matter.
Things that seemed easy for everyone else, he couldn't do. With lots and lots of help (practice by us, and occupational therapy once a week) he is way better now.
He learned to tie his shoes at 8 years old and can do it now pretty regularly, but still lacks the motor skills to make them super tight so they come undone. The buttons in his jeans he could never open by himself so with the help of scissors we made the holes a little bigger (and never told him this so that he felt victorious when he did it) Years later, we no longer have to do that for him.
THere are many many ways around it, and you will see it's not that big of a deal in the long run. I know what you mean about wanting your child to be 'just like everyone else' and the unfairness of it all, after all my son has autism and tourettes' too... talk about unfair.
But it does get better. In fact, it gets good!