Two years, 6 specialists, countless doctor appointments and blood tests later; after hundreds of miles driven, and one burnt out Momma...the bravest little girl I know FINALLY has a diagnosis!!!
Emily has officially been diagnosised with Dyspraxia. I am still searching websites to fully understand what it is we are dealing with; but here is a list of what I have found so far:
1. Definition: Dyspraxia or developmental dyspraxia is "a disorder characterized by an impariment in the ability to plan and carry out sensory and motor tasks. Generally, individuals with this disorder appear "out of sync" with their envirnoment."
2. It is a life-long disorder. It can not be cured, however, it can be managed through therapy.
3. Often comes with language problems and sometimes a degree of difficulty with perception and thought. It does not affect a persons' intelligence, but it can cause learning difficulties.
4. Simply...experts believe a person's nerve cells that control muscles are not developing correctly. The brain and the muscles are not coordinating with each other properly.
5. Symptoms vary but include the following (pre-school age):
* slower at achieving motor milestones (late to sit up, crawl, stand up, walk, run, etc.)
* easily distressed and prone to temper tantrums
* may constantly bump into objects and fall over
*difficulty with peddling a bike or similar toy
*lack of any sense of danger
*continued messy eating. May prefer to always eat with fingers.
*poor fine motor skills
* limited creative play and imaginative play
*isolation with peer group, may prefer adult company
*persistant language difficulties
*sensitive to sensory stimulation (Sensory Processing Disorder)
* limited response to verbal instruction
*slow to establish left- and right-handedness
6. Four out of five children diagnosed with dyspraxia are boys. (Not common among girls)
If you know my daughter...then you know she fits every one of these symptoms. As I continue to visit websites and read as much as I can, one thing is certain...we have a long road ahead of us. Emily is not going to have an easy childhood, there are going to countless obstacles that are going to threaten to tear her down, but I am not going to let that happen.
Education is the first step, I am going to continue to educate myself, my family and my friends.
Prayer. The prayers will never cease. We will beat this and we will come out stronger than we've ever been, a stronger family and stronger disciples for the Lord.
Patience. There are going to be moments when I am going to want to throw in the towel and give up. I won't. I will not give up on this little girl who holds my heart in her hands.
And as I continue to learn, be certain that I will share all I know with all of you. Because the more you all know, the more certain I am that we can come together and give this little girl the courage to overcome anything and everything!
Thank you all for your continued prayers. I feel so relieved that we finally have a name to what we've been dealing with over the years.
