Hi all,
My therapist, at a counselling session, mention that I may have “Clumsy Child Syndrome”. Basicially it’s a condition in which a child’s motor skills are not well-developed and clumsiness will plauge him throughout adult life.
Are there any basis to this? Is my therapist spooking me? (or trying to make me feel better? How? It’s a long story.) What cause this to happen? Is it genetical?
Thanks in advance.
You’re not alone, considering the fact I just bumped this.
Do a Google search on “dyspraxia.” I haven’t looked at all the links out there, but there are a bunch of them, so your therapist isn’t just making something up. From a quick perusal, it’s clear that no one’s really sure what causes the condition (so whether it’s genetic or not is an open question), and that while it sometimes persists into adulthood, oftentimes it doesn’t. Again, no one knows why.
Ouch, after getting that much in-depth information, I think really do have dyspraxia. Is there any help for it?
Basically, at an age of 21, I still
~ can’t pronounce words correctly, be it my mother tongue (manadarin) or English
~ can’t co-ordinate well. I am a laughing stock while in military school.
~ always seem to over-react; or my reaction seem strange
~ ugly handwriting. When drawing can’t feel to draw what I have in mind.
~ problem differnating left from right.
Any help for me, or am I a lost cause? What could be available for my age?
There’s always a brain transplant.
No, seriously, if you have trouble with your motor skills in general, I can’t see what help there might be, other than actively practicing movements and speech patterns to increase your skill.
You might consider visiting a speech therapist.
Otherwise, you should have the motor centers of your brain replaced; it’s the only way.
Maybe or maybe not. It’s one of those vague diagnoses - there’s no MRI or blood test for it.
Whether you fit the clinical definition for dyspraxia or not, don’t be too quick to write yourself off as some sort of “lost cause!”
As a kid, I was not well-coordinated - couldn’t hit a baseball, couldn’t run very fast, etc., etc. For reasons unknown, that began to change when I was around your age, and I ended up being at least as well-coordinated as everyone else, if not somewhat better. My handwriting is, and always has been, truly awful (I learned how to type when I was 12, since I knew it was the only way I’d ever get through school). I’ve never been able to draw worth a shit. When I’m either getting or giving directions, I have to stop for a moment to think about which way is right, and which way is left.
None of this stopped me from getting degrees from an Ivy League university and a top-ranked law school, or from having a successful career, or from enjoying life, generally.
Being “different” isn’t a crime - if everyone were just like everyone else, life would be deadly boring.
(And TVAA does have a good suggestion about working with a speech therapist - that may well be an area where “practice makes perfect,” or can at least help.)
Suggestions: Maybe go to a speech therapist, and also a vocal coach? Learning the mechanics of singing may help you with speech too. Breath control, and pronunciation, not to mention a boost of morale. Breath control is important for speech, singing will help you master this.
Also take a (private?) course on public speaking and debate. This will also boost your confidence and help you to “think on your feet” when conversing. These are methods that have helped others who have trouble finding words, and also speech impediments. Instead of speaking in front of a crowd, you’d just give a speech to your instructor.
Basically, you should take steps to increase your self esteem, and ability to relax when around others, so that you can be yourself, and do the best you can do. (It’s all any of us can do. So many forget or deny this.)
Maybe get a private dance type instructor, or something similar like Tai Chi (sp?) as well? Something that involves slow, simple controlled grace in movement to help you learn how to move in your enviroment? The repitition of movement over time would probably help you with every day actions.
All of these lessons would not be aimed at making you a movie star, but instead focused on helping you relax and interact with your enviroment with less anxiety and better results.
I’m hopeful that you can do some of these things at little or no cost to yourself. Maybe your therapist can help to arrange for you to get these lessons as part of your therapy? It certainly wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Good Luck in your endeavors. I hope you improve, and will continue to find Joy and Prosperity in your life.
I don’t have a cite for this, but were you a low birthweight baby? There is a vaguely defined and basically untreatable syndrome that they often suffer from throughout their lives, which includes bad coordination, problems with fine motor skills, muscle weakness, problems moving from one task to another and in time management generally, and–on the interesting side–greater attachment to family and lesser attachment to peers.
Don’t know what to do about it–piano lessons? Calligraphy lessons? Dance lessons? Practice practice practice? Then, live with what you’re given?
By the way, LostCause (and while that may be the screen name you’ve chosen, I don’t think it’s true for a minute), whose bright idea was it to send you to military school?! Military schools value conformity and group cohesion above everything else - there’s no place for individual quirkiness in a military school. In that respect, they’re unlike most of the non-military world, where individuality can be a real asset. Trying to force someone like you to conform to military notions of correctness almost amounts to cruelty!
Early Out, it’s goverment policy.
They don’t give a damn, to cut the long short short.
Felt like putting my two cents in: Since when is inability to DRAW considered a diagnostic tool!? That kind of horrifies me. By your standards, it looks like I have your “disease” as well, since no one can read my handwriting and I am just generally bad at “neatness” when it comes to certain activities…I tend to spill things, make unnecessary messes, etc.
I’m not completely discarding the idea that you may have a physical problem…after all, physical problems can often be treated and THAT should be part of your physician’s diagnosis. However, it seems that different cultures have tendencies to consider different things “illnesses.” And I wouldn’t buy into the notion that I had a DISEASE until I explored other potential causes for your problems, such as simply lack of confidence that cna make people hesitant and nervous in their actions.
You speak Mandarin AND English? And you’re concerned that your speech isn’t perfect? In MY culture (white American) you’d be considered highly intelligent and unusually adept for being able to master two languages…even if you have some flaws left in them.
Not everyone is an athlete or a ballerina. No one every suggested that my bad handwriting, inability to draw, tendency to knock things over while cooking would affect my success or education, or that it was in any way a DISEASE. It never crossed my mind that these things were FLAWS.
If I were you, I’d hold my head up, concentrate on the things you ARE good at, and hang in there until you can get to a more pleasant environment around people who are more supportive.
You didn’t give a lot of details, but your doctor should be HELPING you, not passing judgement on your artistic temperament.
Laura
Full story here - http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=222303
The short of it is the deviation is very bad. I just couldn’t pronounce certain word. Even if I do it sounds strange. And I stammer and stutter all the time when young, and now.
I don’t know if drawing is a good diagsnotic tool. But my handwriting is defintely ugly.
I’ve often wondered about my own clumsyness. I remember reading at one site that people with soliosis often have that problem, sorry no cite.
Never had this problem with out inbibing
I’ve had this problem, sort of. I’ve ramned my shoulders in to door jams, banged my head, bashed my hands and all this morning. But you get me on a diamond and I can turn a double play like its going out of style. very odd.
Yes. My family can atest to this one. And here I was thinking I just the result of a chemical imblance.
I aspire to chicken strach. ITs the best I can hope for
Put little L’s and R’s on your shoes, that should help
It’s not the end of the word, just cope. Sure you might knock yourself out on a low door way, but life goes on 
hope this helps
Obviously, the hip medical fad this time around is <foo> Syndrome. Make up a list of attributes that are less than “perfect”, slap “Syndrome” onto the list, and way-hey! You’ve got a brand new entry for the DSMIV! Write it up! Charge lots of money to “diagnose” it. Prescribe drugs needlessly. As long as people are kept pharmaceutically controlled, who cares if the Syndrome actually “exists”?
While I hear what you’re saying, Dogface, you might want to read LostCause’s more extensive post on the subject before jumping to any conclusions. Whether he has a true medical problem or not, he’s had a rough time, and doesn’t deserve to be brushed off.
I’m more responding out of my own experience regarding my children and school psychologists. My oldest was diagnosed as “schizotypal personality disorder” when the reality was that he had “yanking the psychologist’s chain disorder”. Likewise, son #2 started getting ominous notes home. It got to the point with the eldest that we were forced to assent to an official “diagnosis” by a committee in the school district. Fortunately, I was able to talk them down to an ill-defined “emotionally disturbed”, which was the lightest sentence they would give him.
Then we moved–new state, new city, new school. Grades are great, kids have many friends, teachers find no problems.
I do not trust mental health “professionals”. They have too much power and too little accountability.
Play more video games. 
Agreeded. For my case, words can’t describe the the problem that I have, so I don’t expect others to readily accept an online, unprovable account.
LostCause, I read your thread with the greatest sympathy, and though I have no advice, I wanted to tell you that you do come across as intelligent, thought-out and interesting. Your user name does not suit you!
Please keep posting here, and don’t let the more negative replies put you down further. Your situation is horrible, but it is NOT you that is wrong but the system you find yourself in. When you are free to find your own way in life, you will find a niche in which you will be able to feel more relaxed about yourself.
Have you had a complete neurological evaluation by a medical doctor? This may include brain MRI. You could have a physiological condition that has been misdiagnosed.