My 9 year old son has hypotonia (low muscle tone) and Sensory Integration Disorder. His IQ is 126, and he receives support and accomodations in the regular classroom. Supports include P.T., O.T., Speech, and S.I. therapy. He goes to Learning Support for the first 1/2 hour or so to catch up on written work.
Because of his low muscle tone, his writing is very slow as is his mental processing. Anything and everything is distracting to him when he is given a written assignment. (ADHD doesn’t fit). Keyboarding is faster for him, but not fast enough at this point. At home, I allow my son to dictate to me to complete his assignments that are lengthy, and this works out very well. He typically understands whatever material is presented to him the first time around in the classroom, so learning is not the issue. If an aide were available all of the time at school, I’d request that he be allowed to dictate as needed. Speech recognition devices may be the way to go in the future, but for now, they seem too complicated and tedious to implement.
The school has been very cooperative, but admittedly has not encountered a child with my son’s motor problems or other various learning issues before. My son is very bright and has a very optimistic attitude. I worry that he’s going to become frustrated with learning as well as with himself. We are due to meet again soon to revise his IEP. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s dealt with dysgraphia and/or any of the other learning differences my son has.
Re: nine year old son
Thank you for the information. I copied it off and will bring it to my son’s upcoming IEP. I’m curious - have you ever been told why your son has low muscle tone, and has he ever received any treatment for it? My son has had lab work done to rule out a metabolic disorder, and is currently on a trial of mega- vitamins. it seems like most emphasis is placed on accomodations, but I do wonder if anyone has found a treatment that directly helps the hypotonia.
Re: nine year old son
Hi there
No, I have never been told why he has low muscle tone. He has been treated for it. For two years he went for o.t. at a hospital near us. They did excerises with him for upper strenght and paper and pencil work to help him form his letters and stay with in the lines on the paper.He has an anxiety disorder and writing difficulties, just can’t seem to get what he wants to say down on the paper, fast enough or legable hence where the computer is a great tool for him.
Faye
Re: nine year old son
Karenanne,
If metabolic disease has been ruled out, then the cause of your son’s hyptonia is likely to be neurological in origin. It could be the result of heredity, an injury at birth, an illness, a mild encephalopathy — the list goes on and on. It is hard to know for sure what causes things like this, just as it is hard to be certain of why some children have LDs. According to the DSM-IV, something like 6% of boys have symptoms like your child. There is some evidence (though far from conclusive) that supplementation with essential fatty acids can help certain dyspraxic children. We tried it and it didn’t work, but you could ask your doctor about whether it might be helpful.
Andrea
Re: nine year old son
Thank you for your quick response. I guess I had not focused on why my son had hypotonia until a new neurologist recently saw him and talked about diagnostic tests and treatments. Besides vitamin therapy, she spoke of the use of blood pressure medicine as a possible treatment. We’re now giving the vitamins a trial run. You mention the DSM-IV diagnosis in 6% of boys. Is the diagnosis Hypotonia or Developmental Coordination disorder? Are they essentially the same thing?
Re: nine year old son
Thank you again for your quick answer. I only ask about causes for hypotonia because a neurologist for the first time spoke about finding causes and treating them. My son also has received O.T., and still receives this along with other supportive therapies through his school. I know that there will be times when he has to write, but keyboarding and dictating seem to be the way to go for him for the most part. He also loses his train of thought when he has to write, especially when it’s something creative rather than just copying. I am in regular contact with his teacher as well as the head of Special Services to refine his IEP as needed. I hope that your son’s school has been supportive.
Re: nine year old son
I was speaking of DCD, of which hypotonia can be a symptom. For example, my son’s hypotonic hands contribute to his writing difficulties. It could also be a symptom of other things such as cerebral palsy. The line between severe DCD and mild cerebral palsy can be blurry, though. I’d be interested in any information you can share about medications that specifically treat motor problems. I have not heard of blood pressure medicine being used for that purpose, though I have heard of it used to treat ADHD. I’m also interested to know what vitamins have been suggested to you and how they might be expected to help your son’s difficulties.
Thanks,
Andrea
Re: nine year old son
The vitamins were prescribed to help with any theoretical chemical deficiency contributing to an inbalance in my son’s nervous system, causing his hypotonia and sensory integration disorder. There is no risk in taking the supplements at the recommended doses, so I thought it would be worth a try. The neurologist suggested besides a multivitamin, B Complex (B100 or B50), Vitamin E 800 iu, and CoenzymeQ 60 mg. My son has a follow-up visit scheduled in early August to see if the vitamins have helped. I’ll probably learn about the BP meds then, but would be happy to share whatever information I come across. Thanks for geting back to me. It’s a constant learning process, isn’t it?
I also have a son, who will be 11 on May 14 that has low muscle tone and writing is very difficult for him. We have been using a new program called Word Q. It has a web site www.wordq.com. If it is the wrong address let me know and I will look it up. My son has been using it for 3 mos now. It is a work prediction program that speaks to you, it eliminates alot of keyboarding.He has really been enjoying it.
Faye