"Help was put into place straight away"

Had a joint appointment with the Occupational Therapist and the Paediatrician at the same time to see is a diagnosis for Developmental co-ordination disorder/Dyspraxia could be made.

With the outbreak of COVID-19 the usual way for the appointment would normally be so see both teams at different appointments, however on this occasion to speed up the diagnosis we were given an appointment to see both together.

We initially spoke to the Occupational Therapist by phone who asked the background information questions to build up an idea if we fell into the category to be seen. At this point COVID-19 had forced my child into home schooling and this is when I noticed the difficulties they were having with basic instructions I was giving them to carry out their school work.

During this call I was given lots of helpful information and was told my child should be seen to confirm a diagnosis but with COVID-19 this may be done remotely. We had a wait but then were given an appointment to see both teams at the same time.

On attending the appointment I spoke with the Paediatrician whilst the Occupational Therapist listened in whilst doing tasks with my child all in clear view of Paediatrician who was taking notes.

We then were asked if the Occupational Therapist and the Paediatrician could discuss their findings for a few minutes. After their discussion they both confirmed that my child did have the symptoms related to Developmental co-ordination disorder.

Finally the help was put into place straight away with sessions being organised with the Occupational Therapist and information relayed to the school to help moving forward.

I think having the two services link into one appointment is beneficial to families who are looking for clear answers and help without having the waiting time of independent appointments.