Hot Lava Mama Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 One of my dc is exceptionally "clumsy". He doesn't have good motor control over his whole body. This same child is also in speech therapy and I think it is related. He doesn't have good motor control over his tongue and lips and has to really focus and concentrated to pronounce clearly. Is there anything I can have him do (ie: certain exercises, maybe certain sports?) that would help him learn better motor control in general? Hot Lava Mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Diane Craft ( a staple at homeschool convnetions) has an exersize with letters of the alphabet and a crayon (fine motor) and several physical exersizes (large motor) she does with kids who need to cross the midline and integrate physical information using both sides of their brains. OK, that's probably not the best description, but if you google her name and look at all the different things she does with different kids, you may find something there that's helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Is it possible to get an OT or PT assessment? Have his eyes been checked? I'm sure there are many possible approaches but I can share our personal experience. We were advised to pursue activities that promote left-right body coordination. The examples we were given - swimming, martial arts, dance, guitar, horseback riding. We also did a lot of OT type activities throughout the day. Here are some examples. http://yourtherapysource.blogspot.com/2012/12/10-bilateral-coordination-activities.html Another thing we were told that was helpful is to try to deal with this early on. When kids get older - into the preteen and teen years if they are "clumsy" it can build on itself because most of us try to avoid things we aren't good at. So, it is good to try to work on it when kids are younger if you can. I've seen several kids who have done well with martial arts and dance in particular. Here patterned movement and lots of short periods of practice (five minutes here and five minutes there) really added up to improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 OT Also, you might look for OhElizabeth's posts about PROMPT speech therapy, which specifically addresses apraxia issues with speech, IIRC. And yes, motor issues can also affect vision. www.covd.org. I'd explore OT first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 I was put in gymnastics because I was exceptionally tall and therefore rather clumsy. It helped a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 I always thought of myself as "clumsy". When I went to PT last summer as a result of a knee injury, the therapist said it was really a balance issue, and he gave me exercises to improve my balance along with the knee stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 We put our son in XC running a few years ago because the kid could.not.run. My DH was horrified to see him skipping and hopping around the soccer field during games. I actually thought it was a terrible idea to sign him up for running if he clearly didn't have the skills, but he took to it immediately and now runs competitively. I think you are getting great advice here. Motor skills can be linked to so many things, including, sometimes, just being "shown the ropes" (even for "obvious" things like how to run). Thinking more on this, my son was diagnosed with severe speech apraxia when he was 3, but we didn't follow up on therapy because we were very unhappy with their approach. The speech issues resolved themselves, but I wonder about any other motor skills misfirings that may be related (he still won't work with his hands, for example). Lots to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 my dd was clumsy. Walked into walls all the time. Ran into a wall and had to get her head stapled shut! It was really bad. She started gymnastics. Beam is her best event. I know, the irony! She does have vision issues but not your normal stuff.....has been in vision therapy awhile and it's complicated to say the least. And she was the one kid who needed speech therapy when younger. But the gymnastics has improved her balance issues. And she's in great shape! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherOfBoys Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 My boy is very awkward too. It was embarrassing and we were hearing from other kids that he was being made fun of. He never wants to talk about it though. He is very tall and can't bend hardly at all. My mom told me she sent my brother to gymnastics when he was younger to help with his awkwardness. So I got proactive: I got a workout dvd for him on amazon for $18. It looks like the Insanity workout I do but with a little boy. He does it daily for the past two weeks and I've already noticed a difference. The first week I peeked over to watch him do the exercises and I burst out laughing because he was so uncoordinated. I had to regroup and come up with a cover story to my laughing. I decided daddy and I would have to help explain the moves without being obvious during the week. There are two levels on the dvd and we are not letting him go to the second, even though energy wise he can handle it, till he can do the moves correctly on the first level. We also (dh and I) decided to NOT put him in baseball this year because of these exercises. He needs a safe place to grow first before I send him to the wolves. I had a hard time not laughing at first so I don't blame the kids. My son takes things seriously though and can't laugh off his inabilities. We will do soccer again in the fall but I don't think he will still be as awkward by then. Soccer is a little more forgiving than baseball. Baseball is a huge deal and serious here. Other Ideas: I would do swimming (great body control there) if it was available in our area. Next winter we will do ice skating lessons. I also found a indoor rock climbing place that was a huge success with my son. I wish we lived closer to it. He already has the energy and strength to be great at rock climbing. Workout dvds will continue to be a staple in our household for the coordination they develop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 More exercise in general is helping my dd! Especially riding bikes. Also, swimming. I am already seeing improvement in her body awareness after only 2 weeks. Something is definitely clicking I. Her brain. I think swimming is the best sport ever. She tried dance and really liked it but I think dance allows for too much freedom, in beginner classes they don't always correct wrong steps or movements. So dance didn't help too much. Gymnastics helps, if she is very focused and the coaches are paying attention. Otherwise it'll be a similar issue where she will be doing things completely wrong and no one tells her. My dd loved gymnastics but came home very hurt a couple of times because she misunderstood and then did the drill incorrectly, repeatedly. But if it's a small class size with a slower pace you won't have this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srs Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 I would get an OT evaluation, especially since he is already in speech. Has anyone mentioned muscle tone to you yet? Your description sounds like hypotonia (low muscle tone), which does often affect speech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srs Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Also, two more terms to throw out there are dyspraxia and developmental coordination disorder, which imo are fancy ways of saying clumsy child. My daughter has most of the issues associated with this, and therapy and exercise like the pps suggest is the best thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 clumsy with speech issues? I would talk to your speech therapist. Mine started with speech therapy and it was due to the SLP seeing his lack of coordination that we started PT and OT. It made a huge, huge difference in my son's life. There are things he has mastered, riding a bike, skipping etc, that no one thought he would manage when he was three and four. Huge big difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Lava Mama Posted March 26, 2014 Author Share Posted March 26, 2014 My boy is very awkward too. It was embarrassing and we were hearing from other kids that he was being made fun of. He never wants to talk about it though. He is very tall and can't bend hardly at all. My mom told me she sent my brother to gymnastics when he was younger to help with his awkwardness. So I got proactive: I got a workout dvd for him on amazon for $18. It looks like the Insanity workout I do but with a little boy. He does it daily for the past two weeks and I've already noticed a difference. The first week I peeked over to watch him do the exercises and I burst out laughing because he was so uncoordinated. I had to regroup and come up with a cover story to my laughing. I decided daddy and I would have to help explain the moves without being obvious during the week. There are two levels on the dvd and we are not letting him go to the second, even though energy wise he can handle it, till he can do the moves correctly on the first level. We also (dh and I) decided to NOT put him in baseball this year because of these exercises. He needs a safe place to grow first before I send him to the wolves. I had a hard time not laughing at first so I don't blame the kids. My son takes things seriously though and can't laugh off his inabilities. We will do soccer again in the fall but I don't think he will still be as awkward by then. Soccer is a little more forgiving than baseball. Baseball is a huge deal and serious here. Other Ideas: I would do swimming (great body control there) if it was available in our area. Next winter we will do ice skating lessons. I also found a indoor rock climbing place that was a huge success with my son. I wish we lived closer to it. He already has the energy and strength to be great at rock climbing. Workout dvds will continue to be a staple in our household for the coordination they develop. Can you tell me the name of the DVD? Thanks! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 I should add that we do all that 'extra' stuff with my son. Both my boys take swimming lessons. Swimming has been a huge challenge for my younger boy and we have resorted to private lessons. Those folks at my local Y are nice, but they don't really seem to have a clue. They just make the kids swim laps. Our local college has private lessons from the girl's swim team members and they are fantastic. It was worth searching out. Both boys take ballet lessons. This has been wonderful for my younger son. He has gained a lot of core strength and coordination from ballet. He is also in a children's choir. This has helped him with his speech because it has taught him a lot about breath control and pronunciation of consonants and helped him to think about how he pronounces words. Both boys take piano lessons. Piano works on finger strength and coordination as well as trunk strength (proper posture) and hand eye coordination. Younger boy also takes trumpet lessons. You can imagine how much that helps a kid who has oral motor issues, lol. But for all of that, and all the $$$ we spend on it, I don't think they take the place of a good evaluation and therapy. They add to it, yes, but it isn't the same thing at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearts4homeschooling Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Brain Gym is a program that uses exercises to get both sides of the brain working together. We used it a lot when the kids were little with good success. You don't need to take a course because the exercises are simple, and you can do them with your child for fun. The workbook would be enough on its own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherOfBoys Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Can you tell me the name of the DVD? Thanks! :) It's called Workout Kid. Volume one comes with level one and two on it. The boy looks like a mini Shaun T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Martial Arts is great for kids with body control and motor planning issues. Years and years ago, we opted to put my son into martial arts rather than continue with OT. True, he progressed slower than others (maybe half pace?), but next week he is "graduating" to brown belt, one step before black. Sometimes I feel a little embarrassed that he progressed so slow, because comparisons are easy in martial arts. However, I didn't really put him in martial arts for him to excel, but rather, to improve coordination, motor planning and tone. He has improved leaps and bounds in this regard. I am very proud of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Wow, my son has undiagnosed speech issues that may be related to dyspraxia/apraxia, and he is a poorly coordinated (though not SUPER clumsy) toe-walker...I was *just* googling and found about childhood coordination disorder, also known as developmental dyspraxia, and my mind was churning through the possibility of a relationship between these motor planning conditions and what I see in my son. Personally I'm starting with the pediatrician, and asking for advice about speech and OT. But I'm really glad to hear that other children have had success with martial arts. Karate has been really, really good for my son already (he just passed to yellow belt last night). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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