Page 60 - SEN114 September/October 2021

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struggle with. Since then school has been way better for me. People have been really nice to me and have finally understood why I have special help and do things differently sometimes.”
Now the question became how long would it last? So I decided to follow it up with her mum in a month, and then a year on.
At a month
Her mum responded to my enquiry by saying Miriam was still reporting that things were “brilliant”! Her Mum said “It has made a big difference to her and has given her a little more confidence in, (for example) going up to her friends and trying to join in with them. She says they were more understanding and positive towards her – especially those in her class.
Miriam said that some of her classmates have told her how great they thought her presentation was and how impressed they were with what she had to say – they had thought of her as just a quiet girl and said they had no idea that she was facing so many challenges.
So, all in all, very positive! Miriam even said the other evening she’d like to write a book about Dyspraxia to help others understand it!”
At a year
Her Mum’s response was:
“The assembly was a real high point for Miriam and it undoubtedly made a difference – both to her confidence and to the understanding of her peers and many of her teachers. She often refers back to it and is proud of what she achieved that day. Her classmates, overall, were very accepting and are supportive of her – I’m certain that the assembly helped foster that.”
If you would like to hear more about this from Miriam watch her delightful video testimonial on our website www.dyspraxia- ed.co.uk
Reflecting on this, what did I conclude?
Firstly, I was left with utter admiration for Miriam that at just 10 years she could have such courage and show huge initiative
“They had no idea that she was facing so many challenges”
in wanting to solve her own problem. Typical of so many of these children. I was equally impressed by the support shown to her by the SENDCo, other teachers at her school and her lovely mum.
Would it work for every child with dyspraxia? I feel this is really down to each school to make that judgement on their own children and situation.
As a charity we are really concerned that few teachers receive any proper training and little support for a condition which affects approximately two children in every class. This hidden but life impacting condition is easy to misunderstand without training. We are passionate about addressing this issue for the children we care so much about. We offer both Inset and online dyspraxia training for schools and also workshops for parents. dyspraxia-ed.co.uk
We feel it’s vital all teaching staff receive training in this “hidden” condition and would like to encourage schools to become dyspraxia friendly. Our helpline is there to advise and support teaching staff.
We try to raise awareness in a range of ways and advocate for these often quiet and massively overlooked children. Teachers often express “There’s something but I can’t quite put my finger on it” when describing a child to us. Please feel free to call our helpline if you are concerned about a child. It is open to all parents, teachers and professionals working with children. School days 10-3pm 01905 676118 or email info@dyspraxia-ed.co.uk
Both Miriam and her mother have not only readily agreed for me to use her name and write this article but kindly supplied photos.
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