Dyspraxia: diagnosis, impact, related policies and training: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/18/01727
Date received: 18 June 2018
Date responded: 11 July 2018

Information requested

Details of people in Scotland who have dyspraxia; how many have been diagnosed, why there is a lack of understanding/recognition in regards to this specific condition, how it impacts on people mentally as well as physically, why are girls/women less likely to get a diagnosis, what policies are already in place to help people, if there is any funding provided and what training is provided to people such as GPs and teachers.

Response

I have enclosed some of the information you requested. The information is detailed under individual headings below.

Some of the information you requested has not been enclosed. The reasons for this are explained below.

What policies are already in place to help people

A Universal Health Visiting Pathway for Scotland was published in October 2015. The Pathway presents a core home visiting programme to be offered to all families by health visitors as a minimum standard.

The Pathway consists of 11 home visits to all families, three of which include a formal review of the child's health by the health visitor (13-15 months, 27-30 months and prior to starting school). These reviews provide the health visitors with the opportunity to refer the child to the appropriate service should they feel it necessary. More details on the Universal Health Visiting Pathway for Scotland can be found at the following link:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/10/9697

Should parents or guardians be concerned about a child showing signs of Dyspraxia they should first contact their GP or Health Visitor for assessment.

Families who have children with Dyspraxia should contact their GP in the first instance to enquire about what support is available to them in their area. The GP may think it appropriate to refer the child to a rehabilitation service.

Rehabilitation is a continuum of enabling interventions. It may include focussed prevention work and will also include assessment/diagnosis and enablement during treatment (such as effort tolerance) and symptom and long term condition management. These rehabilitation services are delivered in every health board area in Scotland and the GP should be able to advise what is available in the area.

Families could also ask their GP if it would be beneficial for their child to be referred to their local neurological service. This would be the case if on clinical assessment the GP identifies the need for specialist neurological intervention. Each health board area has neurological services which are not condition specific but do cater for all types of neuromuscular conditions.

Alternatively, families may also wish to contact the Alliance http://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/ as they can provide information on other services which may benefit their child.

Teacher Training

In Scotland, courses of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) are delivered through nine teacher education universities and the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), as the independent regulatory body for the teaching profession, accredits and approves the content and duration of those courses of ITE. The GTCS's task in accreditation is to ensure that the content of courses will allow a student teacher to achieve the Standard for Provisional Registration (SPR), before they move on to meeting the Standard for Full Registration (SFR) at the end of their probationary period.

The SFR details the professional actions that teachers are expected to follow and these actions include having knowledge and understanding of Additional Support Needs, which includes dyspraxia. However, it is important to note that ITE programmes are only the first stage in the process of a teacher's professional education as teachers have a contractual obligation to continue to develop and enhance their practice through career-long professional learning.

The SFR includes the following professional actions:

• recognising when a learner's behaviour may signify distress requiring the need for further support, and take appropriate action

• knowing how to promote and support the cognitive, emotional, social and physical wellbeing of learners

• having a secure knowledge and detailed understanding of the stages of learners' cognitive, social and emotional development by which they are able to take a holistic view of learners' needs

GP Training

The Scottish Government does not mandate learning for GPs other than when they are in the formal undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum. Clinicians can choose to undertake particular training as part of their continual professional development and in line with what they consider appropriate to address the reasonable needs of the local population and to target interventions for specific patient groups, in particular when caring for people with rare conditions.

GPs can meet their learning needs through a variety of methods, including, but not restricted to, reading, on-line or face to face learning. Patients can also approach their clinicians to make them aware of an event or training taking place relating to their condition.

How many have been diagnosed

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested because NHS National Services Scotland has the information you are looking for.

You may wish to contact NHS National Services Scotland. If so, the FOI contact details are:

Online request form: https://nhsnss.org/how-nss-works/freedom-of-information/

Direct email: NSS.FOI@nhs.net

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

The remaining information you have requested is available from a range of resources and websites and, under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. You may find the links I have provided below helpful in your search:

http://www.healthscotland.scot/

http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/

The Fairer Scotland for Disabled People - Our Delivery Plan to 2021 for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, may be of interest to you. Please see the link: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/12/3778/7

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses