After much (very helpful) background reading on this forum I find I still have a few questions arising from DD15�s recent EdPsych evaluation; I hope someone here can advise me.

Some background:
18 months ago DD15 finally got a formal dx of DCD based on a 2nd OT report and a neurodevelopmental paediatrician�s exam. The EdPsych, normally part of this diagnostic three-step, went rogue and instead wrote at length about DD�s emotional state.

DD�s DCD diagnosis came 9 months before she was independently diagnosed with hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD). At the time of her OT assessment DD was not getting any treatment for her other symptoms which Drs dismissed as anxiety related. DD�s long term health issues are being belatedly addressed but the only medication she takes is a high dose antihistamine.

DD�s early development was advanced and not especially typical of DCD. Poor balance and mild speech issues were the only distinctive early indicators of dyspraxia. Her difficulties with coordination and EF didn�t stand out until she was 9. An OT assessed her dyspraxia as �mild�. While dyspraxia seems to have some effect, DD loves dance, ice-skating, piano, singing and drama. Baking and sewing are her latest pastimes.

DD is usually happy at her selective UK high school but she had a rough start there with poor academic fit etc. Poor health meant DD missed a year of HS classes, off and on. She is still getting good marks but has random knowledge gaps. DD struggles with essay writing - getting started (she needs to talk through the question) and has difficulty wrangling all her ideas into a standard format.

DD has high stake exams coming up next year (yr11). We were able to get a SpeLD assessment through school so she should now have the routine use of a laptop in class and exams. The school also suggested a scribe for sciences/math but not extra time. We are looking for alternatives to maintain her independence. All going well we had expected DD would go on to do the IB rather than 3 A-levels (normal for England).

EdPsych evaluation:
DD finally got an independent WISC-V evaluation along with some other tests to elucidate some of her learning difficulties.

Verbal Comprehension 135
V (18), C (16),S (14), I (15)
Fluid Reasoning MR (18)
Quantitative Reasoning 117
FW (13), Ar (13)
Working Memory 138
DS (18) and PS (16)
Visual Spatial 119
BD (15) and VP (12)
Processing Speed 103
C (11) and SS (10)

FSIQ 137 (based on V, S, MR, FW, DS, BD, C)

Beery Visual Perception 106* (66)
Beery Motor Coordination 94. (34)
Beery Visual-Motor Integration 101. (53)
DASH Graphic Speed 95. (37)
CTOPP Segmenting Nonwords 140. (99.2)
CTOPP Nonword Repetition 105. (63)
WIAT Pseudoword Decoding 122. (93)
CTOPP Rapid Symbolic Naming Composite 113 (81) [107 at earlier SpeLD assessment]
Single Word Reading Test (SWRT) >130 (98)
TOWRE Sight Word Efficiency 138 (99)
YARC Reading Fluency 115 (84)
YARC Reading Rate 109 (73)
YARC Reading Comprehension 118 (88)
Helen Arkell Spelling Test (HAST) 135 (99)
DASH Free Writing 75 (5) [75]
DASH Copy Fast 73 (4) [74]
WIAT Numeracy 124 (95)
* achieved the maximum score for her age.

The OT report from 2017 included Beery results:

VP %ile 81
VMC %ile 32
VMI %ile 79

Her Movement ABC put her at 2nd percentile.

Four years ago DD�s school ran a cognitive abilities test (GL Assessment) which is multi choice with 141 the max std score:
Verbal 141
Quantitative 136
Non-verbal 141
Spatial 141

This has raised a few questions:

1. how typical of DCD/dyspraxia is DD�s cognitive profile? I had expected VS, WMI and PS to be much lower but does this just mean a �mild� condition with the results indicating the type of DCD? Our EdPsych said she wouldn�t have done any further testing if she�d only seen the WISC-V results.
2. I expected DASH Free Writing to be slower than Copy Fast. Even if she was tired, shouldn�t there be a bigger difference with free writing slower than copying? Does this mean her real problem is the physical act of writing but not composition?
3. DD apparently has some issues with visual tracking as her reading rate is affected by her eyes jumping ahead and back. Is poor tracking an aspect of convergence insufficiency? Is VT likely to help? DD�s vision changes often and unevenly with now a mild shortsightedness and an astigmatism.
4. Given some of DD�s EF difficulties is it wise to do the IB, or should she change course now? She has made improvements on organisation and time management but still loses things and misses deadlines. The EdPsych recommended tutoring for EF but previously when DD�s OT tried (briefly and condescendingly) to coach her on planning and execution, DD�s mutinous response led to the end of OT after just 4 sessions.
5. DD never got OT beyond assessment and those 4 sessions. If we push for more OT what should we focus on? (We have PT exercises already for muscle strength).
6. Should we be trying to get DD set up with speech-to-text software instead of extra time for science/math exams? It seems to be hand pain that limits her handwriting.

Apologies for the length. Thank you for reading this far and for your insights.


Last edited by ESAK; 07/28/20 12:39 PM. Reason: Length