Dyspraxia vs ASD??

[kme]

The "latest" dx being given to my son is dyspraxia. For those of you who read my posts, you know he has had/has every dx under the sun - depending on who is evaluating him. I have been told both that he is on the spectrum and he is not on the spectrum. The one dx I am completely in agreement with, no doubt, is SPD. That's why I spend so much time and money on OT. Lately the OT has been talking a lot about his motor planning and when I asked about it further, she said it means he has dyspraxia.

Ok, so this was one dx I sort of dismissed b/c he walked on time, rode a two wheeler at age 5, and does not seem particularly "clumsy". However, as he has gotten older and more is expected, I can see the problem - he can't do jumping jacks, can't dribble a basketball, can't catch a ball well, can't tie his shoes, etc. He also has some of the other symptoms like speech difficulties (has trouble finding his words a lot) and difficulty with pretend play. The OT said these difficulties are due to dyspraxia.

So...what is the difference btn dyspraxia and autism? The symptoms seem very similar. I know what the DSM says, I have done the CHild Brain quiz (he always comes out on the border of "mild pdd" and "no pdd"), and we have had numerous evals done and I still don't really get the difference.

Dyspraxia could be the main problem I guess. Do any of your kids have it? How is it different (if at all) from autism? Is it one of those dx people use because they don't want to say "autism"? Is it part of SPD? I have googled it but there isn't a ton of info on it, but a lot of links about Daniel Radcliffe having it.

I never thought yet ANOTHER dx would come up with my son but here it is!!

[furrowed]

Our children sound so similar.

I am anxiously watching this thread!

[sbgrace]

This has been mentioned for my son (though motor planning was what most therapists used) and I think it goes along with kids with proprioceptive difficulties. I don't think dyspraxia is usually the term used for speech. I've never heard of word retrieval stuff being associated with dyspraxia at any rate. That to me sounds more processing. But I'm certainly no expert and could well be unaware as that wasn't our area. I know speech delays can impact pretend play as can autism w/out speech delays. My kid clearly has motor planning issues, major proprioceptive stuff going on, and he's super clumsy because of both of those. He rarely walks through the hall w/out running into a wall or falling down completely kind of stuff. He struggled to ride a trike and do anything else that requires coordination. But his speech and pretend play are solid. He's on the spectrum, pdd-nos/atypical autism.

[3tammuz]

I am a speech-language pathologist. Although, I am not familiar with you child/posts, I thought I would chime in. Dyspraxia is generally related to difficulties with motor skills - often with fine motor skills. Some children do experience difficulties with speech skills, but not all. Many children with ASD also have dyspraxia. In general, the biggest difference between the two is that children with ASD have more severe overall communication and social deficits. Those with dyspraxia have difficulty with motor skills, but not neccessarily knowing what to say or making friends.

[otflyguy]

asd vs dyspraxia

Hi all,new to the boards...I'll do my best to address this thread.
KME ASD and Dyspraxia can co-exist in a child, the diagnosis of dyspraxia is somewhat subjective and their is debate as to whether it should be given to a child with ASD because it's near impossible to differentiate Dyspraxia from some of the symptoms displayed by a child with ASD due to it's neurological nature (bilateral "under-connectedness", decreased mirror neurons, learning difficulties) and motor planning deficits that can be associated with a self-limiting behaviors/interests or "self-imposed underexposure to life skills". I am also not certain about what testing you have had, but it is relatively easy for an experienced professional to give/rule out a diagnosis of ASD using ADOS, C.A.R.S in conjunction with DSM (core deficits in communication,social skills, and idiosyncratic (odd) behaviors)-none of these things are shared with dyspraxia. So to recap- A child with ASD likely has some difficulties with sensory/self-regulation, as well as motor planning (semantics= could be called dyspraxia if severe), these things are not mutually exclusive and are relatively subjective, the big question is...What pro/con is there to a particular diagnosis for your child, does the treatment differ, insurance pay more etc.? Treatment should be based on individual needs of the child,not what someone labels him/her. Some label's can be arbitrary. However, sounds like the big question is..does your child have ASD? Hope this helps! By the way these children and families are dear to me.. I am an occupational therapist, autism consultant, and team member on a diagnostic panel, feel free to PM me if I can offer any more advice on the ASD diagnosis...goodnight

[lmevans]

Originally Posted by 3tammuz

I am a speech-language pathologist. Although, I am not familiar with you child/posts, I thought I would chime in. Dyspraxia is generally related to difficulties with motor skills - often with fine motor skills. Some children do experience difficulties with speech skills, but not all. Many children with ASD also have dyspraxia. In general, the biggest difference between the two is that children with ASD have more severe overall communication and social deficits. Those with dyspraxia have difficulty with motor skills, but not neccessarily knowing what to say or making friends.

Sorry to hijack, OP...I have no advice for you or anything.

I was wondering about the part that I bolded...any idea about difficulties with gross motor skills? Is there a word for that?
Thanks!

[Freud]

Originally Posted by lmevans

Sorry to hijack, OP...I have no advice for you or anything.

I was wondering about the part that I bolded...any idea about difficulties with gross motor skills? Is there a word for that?
Thanks!

Dyspraxia covers both fine and gross motor skills...

[Lollybrat]

My son (almost age 6) has both ASD and Dyspraxia. He has lots of gross and fine motor delays as well as oral-motor issues. His developmental ped and therapists have told me that ASD and Dyspraxia often occur together, but can occur seperately as well. A child who has Dyspraxia without ASD will not have the communication problems and social skill difficulties that a child with ASD has.