8 replies to this topic

[Becky]

This child may well be just plain clumsy! However there are many special needs which clumsiness is an indication of. Sometime ago we had a child with Dyspraxia and she was immensely clumsy, although she was lovely. My son has Aspergers Syndrome and he too suffers with co-ordination problems which make him clumsy. You need to look for other indications before labelling this child though. That is very important. Discuss your concerns with team members and of course the child's parents. Hope all this helps! :)

[Megan]

Hi Louise,
We have a child in our setting who as just been diagnosed as having ASD. Prior to the diagnosis, we found out a bit about Aspergers and ASD mainly because we, as a staff, had no previous experience of either. The National Autistic Society site was good as a starting point. They explain that a person with Asperger syndrome can suffer with the same triad of impairments as people with ASD (difficulties with social interaction, with verbal and non-verbal communication, and difficulties with imaginative activities.) In addition, repetitive behaviour patterns and a resistance to change are notable features in Asperger syndrome. The NAS state that people with Asperger syndrome are of average intelligence or above and often speak fluently, though their words might sometimes be rather formal or stilted. Hope this helps :)

[kate]

Hi
Sounds like Dyspraxia to me rather than Aspergers. I teach in a special school and have many dyspraxic children and ASD kids too. Aspergersis on the spectrum and is often thought of a s higher functioning Autism.
If you want more info I can give you lots as I used to teach in the ASD unit. But... do be aware of all his other difficulties if any and don't label him too soon.
Mant Dyspraxic kids also have problems with speech too. But be heartened there is much info about it and lots of help. Brain Gym is good for it too.

Hope this helps

Kate

[carlad]

Hiya, my daughter age 5 has been very clumsy from the beginning, always coming home with an oops ouch note from school. She was deaf for her first year due to fluid in the ears. Has this child had earache often?? or have you noticed him/her shouting excessively?

Another thing to think about anyway!

Carla x

[Helen]

Hi Carla, and welcome :) I love your reference to an oops ouch note!
Has your daughter had any treatment to improve her hearing, or did it clear up on its own?

[mousebat]

Hi

We had a child at pre-school who always seemed to fall over for no real reason. (I put it down to the invisible log). It so happened that he was born with a club foot which had been sorted out when he was younger. Could this have been a factor for his clumsiness? If the child has no other developmental problems or physical problems then they may just be clumsy - it can happen. If children aren't 'perfect' e.g clumsy, speech problems etc then some practitioners wave a red flag and want to call in all sorts of experts and slap a label on the child far too quickly. Children develop at their own pace and not to some timetable in a child development book! I know what I'm talking about as it happened with my own child! If I was in your situation I would keep monitoring the situation, talk to the parents, perhaps the health visitor and then review the situation in a few months time. If other problems then start to arise, take action.

mousebat