By reading another post it reminded me of the problems I had with my son when he was small. I and he had a tramatic birth and I believe that was the cause of his problems. He was in a world of his own. Initially it was thought he had bad hearing but later he told me he just couldn't concentrate. I used to watch him write which he did extremely badly or eat and he would only use one hand. He couldn't catch a ball. He learnt to scramble across the water at the swimming pool at five but he couldn't co-ordinate his arms with his legs. If he swam with his arms his legs just dangled and if he did his legs his arms didn't opperate properly. He did badly at school although he could do mental maths quite well. He couldn't do anything that required writing. I read in a newspaper an article about the:
Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology (INPP Ltd) at Chester
that treated children such as he. One of the key features is as babies they don't crawl and he didn't. You think at the time this doesn't matter but apparently by crawling they learn co-ordination and distances and how to juggle the two. I got in touch with the Institue and they sent me to a therapist in my area. My son went to see her for about 18 months at the age of 14 and basically he had to do lots of very slow exercises to more or less take him back in time to what should have happened as a baby but didn't. Children like him do not lose their baby reflexes and move on so they are sort of trapped. In some ways it sounded mumbo jumbo at the time but to her credit she did absolute wonders for him.
Before the treatment I seriously wondered if he would ever be able to hold down a job as his concentration was so bad. When I spoke to him I would have to repeat everything before he took it in. After the treatment he went from never reading a book to reading about 4 a month. After not being able to swim, he could. At 17 he passed his driving test and he now works years later in the City. If your child shows any of these symptoms I would recommed you contact the Institute and hopefully at an earlier age than my son.
RE: dyspraxia help
I have met Peter & Sally (the founders of The Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology (INPP)) & heared what they have to say & it makes good sense to me & many osteopaths. Especially those that practice cranial osteopathy.
They organise international conventions on the subject & run courses
for teachers & enthsusiastic parents to help their kids. 😉
Their new web site - [DLMURL] http://www.inpp.org.uk/index.htm [/DLMURL]
The basis of their approach is about letting go of certain primative (survival) reflexes that need to be broken down & let go of, in order for us to develop in normal way, because after a certain age we no longer need them. If they persist then they can actually hold us back.
Learning to crawl breaks down one of these primative reflexes, which is why children should be allowed to crawl about until they are ready. And devices like 'Walkers' & 'Bouncer' are actually not such a good idea. [:o]
Peter & Sally are also great supporters of cranial (cranio-sacral) osteopathy, especially when birth trauma is involved - causing excessive strains on on the new born's head. Such strains, while the brain & nervous system are still developing, can have a massive impact on us. For many of us the birthing process may well be the the most traumatic experience that we go through in our lives.
The stresses of birth can leave us with compensating 'strain patterns' that compromise how our body & central nervous system functions. If these can be released or reduced, then growth & development can take it's natural course. 🙂
In short we are born with the 'equipment' to survive - so we are very flexible, adaptable & open to change. So the younger they are treated - the better the response, with fewer treatment.
RE: dyspraxia help
Hi Anahata
As you mentioned cranial oestopaths you also remined me that I took my son to the centre in central London. At the time he was diagnosed with having glue ear and the treatment he received did seem to do him good. I saw lots of small babies with all sorts of problems being treated there with good results and wished I had know about such things when he was smaller.
RE: dyspraxia help
Glue ear, colic & general restlessness are typically the most common children's problems we osteopaths use a cranial osteopathic approach for.
As it based on principles, rather than being prescriptive like modern medicine, then you can apply these principles to kids & adults alike, with all manner of conditions. This is also an important distinction, in that, we treat the person rather than their condition or symptoms, which the person manifests. 😉
That said, it's not a 'cure all', either, so depends on where that person is at. But typically children do respond more readily, as they have a greater capacity to heal, as I said. [sm=jump2.gif]
It's also, worth pointing out that people can continue with glue ear (otitis media with effusion) into adulthood. There is some truth that many kids grow out of these things, but only the symptoms, as the body adapts & compensates for the problem. So the symptoms may reduce or even disappear, but may return later, such as tinnitus. One fifty year old lady I treated had an annoying watery sound in her ear, when she turned her head. (I had being treating her for her arthritic knees prior to her mentioning this.) Treated her once & it resolved, or at leasst the symptoms did. This was an unusual case, though, as I would normally expect it to have taken longer. But the point is, is that, just cos you've had something a long time, doesn't mean that there isn't an answer for it. [sm=dance.gif]
Re. Children I also, feel the main issues are not only the pain & suffering when it's at it's worst, but the language skills & development that they often fall behind on if they have deafness with it, as is often the case. 🙁
Problems like dyspraxia are usually more complex though & may need more of a joint effort, which is why I recommended the INPP approach [DLMURL] http://www.inpp.org.uk/index.htm [/DLMURL]
and there are other things likely to help. 🙂
A search on Brain Gym & The Sunflower Project may give you more options. With regard to finding someone local, then your most likely to find an osteopath who does cranio-sacral (same as cranial) work or an allergy tester.
Any 'stress factors' that can be reduced or removed will help the central nervous system intergrate & function closer to it's full potential. If you find they have several allergies or unavoidable ones, then NAET treatment should help clear them, but again, it's the issue of very few practitioners in the UK. There's a practitioner database on
RE: dyspraxia help
Hi,
The UK Educational Kinesiology site (for Brain Gym) is at:
There are practitioners in most areas
It really helped my son
All the best
Jonathan
RE: dyspraxia help
I thought for a moment that you were describing my son down to a T.
I had a very quick labour 1 hr 45 mins. My son was blue when he was born. Doctors thought it was because of the quick labour.
12 hours after he was born I was told he had a heart problem. Two days later he had open heart surgery.
He has the same problems as your son, swimming difficulties, reading and writing difficulties but is very good at maths. His coordination is not too bad.
School informed me he had dyslexia but I was not convinced. Anyway got him to see a professor at Oxford Univeristy, she confirmed that he does not have dyslexia but does have a form of learning difficulty.
He is 10 years old, but is 2 years behind on his reading and writing. However if he was asked a general question he was 2 years in front for his age. His memory short and long term is 3 months ahead. So he is a bright child.
CONSLUSION: he now takes Omega 3 on a daily basis and has been told to wear 'special' blue glasses. You cannot buy these glasses anywhere the University gave me them.
Apparently he cannot tolerate brightess, ie blank ink on a white background.
Whilst talking to the professor she established that my daily headaches could be contributed to the same problem so I also have a pair of these glasses - got to go back in 3 months to see if we have improved.
So just call me Ozzy Osborne for now.
RE: dyspraxia help
Hi purple01
I hope you have success with your son and the glasses.
I am sure you will find as I did there is light at the end of the tunnel if you can find the right treatment for him. The change in my son after the treatment was nothing short of amazing.