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I am so lost, feel so alone, unsure where to turn...
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<blockquote data-quote="InsaneCdn" data-source="post: 459144" data-attributes="member: 11791"><p>Next red flag:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><me, getting back up on soap box></p><p></p><p>This one, you're going to have to climb Everest for, but... I understand completely.</p><p>Its called the "fatigue factor".</p><p>So bear with me - the rest of you - because I know you've already heard me say this, but THIS board member hasn't, so...</p><p></p><p>There are multiple kinds of fatigue, and probably more than we know - but here's the ones we know about...</p><p></p><p>1) physical - that is the "I'm all worn out from loading 15 trucks with lumber" tired - muscles just won't do any more = extreme physical tired.</p><p></p><p>2) mental - that is the "I just spent three hours writing my engineering final" tired - you could run 5 miles with no problem, but can't remember your phone number to call home for a ride... so I guess you're going for a 5-mile run.</p><p></p><p>3) emotional - overwhelmed - most of us know about this one on some level.</p><p></p><p>4) neuromotor - ok, probably got you on this one. What the blanketty is neuromotor fatigue? THAT is the one that is killing your son.</p><p></p><p>Neuromotor fatigue is a form of brain tired - but not the same as exam-overload-tired. Its not from thinking - its from planning and organizing and coordinating MOVEMENT. We really don't know exactly how this all works. But we do know that the brain of people with motor skills problems like Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) must use consious thought to control movement, and must spend considerable effort to do so.</p><p></p><p>In practical terms, this means that... there are a lot of things they CAN do, <u>some of the time</u>. Our son can tie a formal tie no problem first thing in the morning, given lots of time. Having to change between two band uniforms in 10 mins flat between performances, and the second one needs a tie? NOT A HOPE. He's tired, he's stressed, and he's in a rush. Can't be done. They can write, do phys ed, in fact, probably can do almost any ONE thing reasonably well if they have already learned it.</p><p></p><p>BUT... once they have used up their neuromotor reserves, degradation sets in <u>really fast</u>. And then they can't. </p><p></p><p>The pool of resources required for motor skills is not differentiated. SO... doing handwriting in first period might even be possible... but today, they have a PE special in, say, gymnastics or baseball or some other high-coordination or real-time-response scenario... so, he puts a good effort into PE (not stellar, but not bad). Next class is English - and he can't write. Teacher is going to say "yah right". Reality? <strong><u><em>HE CAN'T WRITE.</em></u></strong> </p><p></p><p>And to make matters worse, the parts of the brain that are used by Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) people to control motor skills... are the same parts of the brain that are used for other executive functions. Ta Da! Guess what? When these kids get worn out, their behavior deteriorates rapidly as well.</p><p></p><p>See the pattern?</p><p></p><p>But there are NO tests for fatigue factors. You have to get an Occupational Therapist (OT) who is REALLY on your side, and then get them to evaluate and document and report on fatigue factors "as part of there clinical observations during Occupational Therapist (OT) therapy". Make appointments at various times of the day. Make sure you pick days when you KNOW he's going to be worn out - and THEN have an appointment. </p><p></p><p>Trust me. Your kid knows he's tired. He just doesn't understand why. Start teaching him the language of tired. Physical? mental? overwhelmed? overloaded? can't make my muscles do what I need done? The more descriptive you can teach him to be, the more consistent he can be with his messages to teachers... and the more chance YOU have of negotiating the right accommodations and interventions.</p><p></p><p><off soap box now></p><p></p><p>When it comes to the IEP... you do NOT have to go full-bore on major school-based testing. I'd be tempted to sit down with the principal first, and tell him the kinds of things you are seeing as initial concerns... the need for these to be supported by the IEP process (for example, to get technology), and find out which tests the school would have to do to support those accommodations. (dysgraphia?) THEN put in the IEP request, and work together to start the ball rolling. Now you've got a basis for further testing, further accommodations as they come up. Working in parallel... you need to get MEDICAL stuff looked after - get dxes for things like Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The school should be able to come up with the Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) screening - get them to specifically look for auditory filtering/discrimination issues. You may need outside referals to get a diagnosis... but if the Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) says he can't hear through background noise... then maybe the class needs a sound-field system. Make this as respectful and as full of teamwork as you can get. Because if you CAN get that kind of a relationship, it is worth SO much in the long run.</p><p></p><p>And once the accommodations make it into the IEP, they will follow him into the future.</p><p></p><p>And now... I'm going to have to stop, because my fingers are getting twisted up... its called neuromotor fatigue. I've been at the keyboard too long today. Time for a walk!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="InsaneCdn, post: 459144, member: 11791"] Next red flag: <me, getting back up on soap box> This one, you're going to have to climb Everest for, but... I understand completely. Its called the "fatigue factor". So bear with me - the rest of you - because I know you've already heard me say this, but THIS board member hasn't, so... There are multiple kinds of fatigue, and probably more than we know - but here's the ones we know about... 1) physical - that is the "I'm all worn out from loading 15 trucks with lumber" tired - muscles just won't do any more = extreme physical tired. 2) mental - that is the "I just spent three hours writing my engineering final" tired - you could run 5 miles with no problem, but can't remember your phone number to call home for a ride... so I guess you're going for a 5-mile run. 3) emotional - overwhelmed - most of us know about this one on some level. 4) neuromotor - ok, probably got you on this one. What the blanketty is neuromotor fatigue? THAT is the one that is killing your son. Neuromotor fatigue is a form of brain tired - but not the same as exam-overload-tired. Its not from thinking - its from planning and organizing and coordinating MOVEMENT. We really don't know exactly how this all works. But we do know that the brain of people with motor skills problems like Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) must use consious thought to control movement, and must spend considerable effort to do so. In practical terms, this means that... there are a lot of things they CAN do, [U]some of the time[/U]. Our son can tie a formal tie no problem first thing in the morning, given lots of time. Having to change between two band uniforms in 10 mins flat between performances, and the second one needs a tie? NOT A HOPE. He's tired, he's stressed, and he's in a rush. Can't be done. They can write, do phys ed, in fact, probably can do almost any ONE thing reasonably well if they have already learned it. BUT... once they have used up their neuromotor reserves, degradation sets in [U]really fast[/U]. And then they can't. The pool of resources required for motor skills is not differentiated. SO... doing handwriting in first period might even be possible... but today, they have a PE special in, say, gymnastics or baseball or some other high-coordination or real-time-response scenario... so, he puts a good effort into PE (not stellar, but not bad). Next class is English - and he can't write. Teacher is going to say "yah right". Reality? [B][U][I]HE CAN'T WRITE.[/I][/U][/B] And to make matters worse, the parts of the brain that are used by Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) people to control motor skills... are the same parts of the brain that are used for other executive functions. Ta Da! Guess what? When these kids get worn out, their behavior deteriorates rapidly as well. See the pattern? But there are NO tests for fatigue factors. You have to get an Occupational Therapist (OT) who is REALLY on your side, and then get them to evaluate and document and report on fatigue factors "as part of there clinical observations during Occupational Therapist (OT) therapy". Make appointments at various times of the day. Make sure you pick days when you KNOW he's going to be worn out - and THEN have an appointment. Trust me. Your kid knows he's tired. He just doesn't understand why. Start teaching him the language of tired. Physical? mental? overwhelmed? overloaded? can't make my muscles do what I need done? The more descriptive you can teach him to be, the more consistent he can be with his messages to teachers... and the more chance YOU have of negotiating the right accommodations and interventions. <off soap box now> When it comes to the IEP... you do NOT have to go full-bore on major school-based testing. I'd be tempted to sit down with the principal first, and tell him the kinds of things you are seeing as initial concerns... the need for these to be supported by the IEP process (for example, to get technology), and find out which tests the school would have to do to support those accommodations. (dysgraphia?) THEN put in the IEP request, and work together to start the ball rolling. Now you've got a basis for further testing, further accommodations as they come up. Working in parallel... you need to get MEDICAL stuff looked after - get dxes for things like Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The school should be able to come up with the Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) screening - get them to specifically look for auditory filtering/discrimination issues. You may need outside referals to get a diagnosis... but if the Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) says he can't hear through background noise... then maybe the class needs a sound-field system. Make this as respectful and as full of teamwork as you can get. Because if you CAN get that kind of a relationship, it is worth SO much in the long run. And once the accommodations make it into the IEP, they will follow him into the future. And now... I'm going to have to stop, because my fingers are getting twisted up... its called neuromotor fatigue. I've been at the keyboard too long today. Time for a walk! [/QUOTE]
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