Tree Fu Tom Reviewed by a Mom with Dyspraxia

Jam is currently 4.75 years old. 

Have you heard of the animated series Tree Fu Tom that started airing last fall in the UK?

Here's the official blurb:

Tree Fu Tom is about the amazing adventures of a young boy called Tom who, with the power of ‘movement magic’ called ‘Tree Fu’, can transform into a tiny but mighty magical super hero and travel to a wondrous enchanted kingdom called Treetopolis that exists in a tree in his back garden.

The series features exercises that have been specially developed to promote movement and co-ordination development in children with dyspraxia and similar conditions.

So, of course, I'm interested. Especially since it's aimed at 4-6 year olds and I've got one of those!

And, of course,  I got so impatient for it to air in the US awhile back that we bought used DVDs from England. But you don't have to because now Tree Fu Tom is playing on PBS Sprouts and Amazon Instant Video and iTunes. We don't have money for fancy cable channels like PBS Sprouts or to pay $1.99 an episode on Amazon or $2.99 an episode on iTunes. So I'll just stick with my used DVDs, thanks.

By now, I've seen the first 13 episodes a million times. Well, really, like four times each. It just feels like a million. But still- that's at least 52 viewings and you'd think I'd have some concrete opinion about Tree Fu Tom by now but I don't.

The graphics are nice. The characters are fine. The stories are cute. I don't really care about that stuff. I care more about it's ability to get my low-energy son motivated and participating in the 'movement magic'- those specially developed exercises for dyspraxic kids.

And I got a bit worried when, after the 24th viewing, he was still just watching the episodes and never engaging in the exercises. I could see why, though.

The initial exercise sequence, where the kids 'turn the magic on' is made up of fast, complicated moves set to electro-beat music. Hell, I can't even follow them! Maybe if they would just cut a few moves, slow the distracting music down and give a little more time between steps, I'd have a chance. Dyspraxics tend to have processing issues and need a little extra time to think and execute between moves.

The rest of each episode's exercise sequences involve the kids creating 'Big World Magic' to help Tom solve some problem. These are better. There are fewer steps and they're good ones- crossing the midline, stretching, balancing and all sorts of uncomfortable stuff for dyspraxics. But made fun! And the timing between moves is just right- enough time to mentally process the next step and physically do it, but at a challenging pace. And, most importantly, they run through the sequence twice. Repetition is key in the world of dyspraxia!

Now there was one episode in particular, "Fungus Among Us", that Jam would just watch over and over intently. (Lord, if I never see that episode again....)   And with Jam, there is always a method to his madness. There's a reason for everything he does. And I began to suspect that he was just watching the moves over and over and trying to lock them in his mind before attempting them in the real world.

And sure enough, one day he climbed off the couch and starting doing them. Not perfectly or smoothly or refined in any way because, well... he's dyspraxic. And he's four. But it was very awesome! And now when the show's on, he jumps around and performs "movement magic" with Tree Fu Tom. And he has a good time doing it.

So, all in all, it appears Tree Fu Tom has been a success in our home. It pairs well with one of my favorites,  Bo on the Go, which we watch through Netflix and which does a great job at getting kids moving and doing simple, fun sustained exercises for improved skills and increased stamina and endurance.

By the way, here's a relevant article. It's called "How Tree Fu Tom Can Help Children with Dyspraxia".

Good News, Bad News and a Dilemma

Jam is currently 4.75 years old

So at today's therapy session, I got some good news and some bad news. And now have a dilemma.

I'm a 'bad news first' kind of girl, so here goes...

The bad news is that Miss S, the occupational therapist Jam has been seeing since being diagnosed over two years ago, is closing her private practice and moving across the country. The end of July is the end of therapy with Miss S.

Super sucky for us. Super awesome for her. She's spent 30 years in her field and wants to do something new. And she deserves it. And I'm genuinely very happy for her.

Still...

I was really hoping she would be around when it came time for my sweet little dyspraxic, dysgraphic, left-handed boy to learn handwriting. Because, due to my own dyspraxia and crazy spatial issues, I'm not sure how a strongly right-handed person such as myself is going to be able to do it. Thankfully, it's a little ways off.

The good news, on the other hand, is that I finally got a small sliver of validation for the work I've done in developing Jam's new motor skills-focused therapy strategy. Jam's been doing really well and making huge progress on so many fronts over the past year. And part of that strategy was to drop him out of preschool. Not a popular decision with some, including Miss S, who is a strong proponent of early education for social skills development, especially for special needs kids.

Given his dyspraxia and SPD, the problem for us was twofold: 1) Jam needs a lot of downtime to operate well and, with his new schedule, there wasn't enough time for everything, and 2) he'd already been experiencing high anxiety and stress in preschool settings over the past two years. And that high anxiety and stress would carry itself over into everything.

So, for me, it wasn't a hard decision. School had to go for now so that maybe he could handle and enjoy it more in the future.

And today Miss S. told me she thought I'd made a really smart decision a year ago in pulling him from school. That she saw the results that came from reducing his anxiety load and allowing him to spend more of his energy on learning to use his brain and body. Yeah!

And now for the dilemma.

Being the awesome OT that she is, she's using the next two months evaluating and placing her clients. Finding them new, well-matched services for their needs. So, of course, she asked me if I wanted referrals for two therapists, in particular, she felt would work well with Jam.

And I hesitated. Because I'm not sure, at this point, it'd be worth continuing with a new therapist. Or... not that it wouldn't be worth it, but that we could spend our limited supply of time and energy trying something else beneficial.

So I took the referral contact info and, waiting lists in this city being what they are, I should probably figure something out soon.

SPD and Co-Sleeping

Jam is currently 4.75 years

I don't even know where to start. The whole sleep issue, especially in those early years, was so miserable and exhausting that I don't really remember any of it. Of course, back then, nothing was making it into long-term memory so, being dyspraxic, I already knew to write it down or lose it forever!

And so I did. I kept a daily journal of Jam's first few years which ended up being real handy when his diagnosis time came around. And it continues today in the form of daily emails I send to his dad and grandparents so they can keep up on his days.

But back to the sleep thing...

It took Jam forever to go down at night. Hours of swaddling and pacing and rocking. The witching hour where he would cry inconsolably for no apparent reason from 5pm to 6pm daily. He'd wake if you tried to lay him in the crib. He'd wake if the car stopped. He'd wake through the night. He'd wake early in the morning. We went through countless variations of sleeping arrangements- co-sleeper bassinets, sidecar cribs, couches, mattresses on the floor. And in between all of that, countless variations in routine- no noise, white noise, no lights, night lights, epsom baths, stories, songs. Pace, pace, pace. Rock, rock, rock. We read all the advice, took classes and even hired a private sleep consultant.

When Jam was three, we tried weighted blankets and melatonin. He felt 'crushed' under the weight of the blanket and moaned that the melatonin was 'freezing his brain' as he involuntarily slipped under. We lasted three days before throwing the melatonin out.

He could never sleep on his own throughout the night. Knowing even the gentlest method of 'cry it out' was not for us, when he woke in the middle of the night, I would move into his room and sleep with him on his mattress. For three years. And this is how we all finally got some semblance of sleep. Albeit crappy sleep.

In hindsight, it all makes sense. His SPD brain took forever to wind down at the end of the day. His gravitational insecurity alerted him awake if suddenly shifted into a horizontal position. He always needed to clutch Matchbox trucks in his fists. To this day, he needs to be touching someone with his foot while sleeping to know where he is in space.

Our 'miracle cure' arrived one night when he was 3 1/2 and had come down with a bad cold. He was miserable and wanted to sleep in our bed- something he'd never asked to do before. And we agreed to it. And got the first full night of uninterrupted sleep ever. Ever. It's been more than a year now that Jam's been sleeping with us and we're all getting a good night's sleep. He falls asleep within ten minutes with me lying next to him and the only time he wakes in the night is when he feels sick and is about to puke. And, not surprisingly, it was right around then that we started seeing a less-anxious Jam make more progress on the skills front.

It's not all sunshine and roses. Our bed is a queen size and my husband is 6' 5". It took six months for him to adjust to sleeping on his sliver of the bed and to get used to a third presence. But he's the one  'oohing' and 'aahhing' over a sleeping Jam every night before cuddling up and closing his own eyes. It's definitely brought them closer. And the upside is that we always know when Jam has had a bad night of sleep for whatever reason and can plan the next day accordingly.

I know it won't last forever. I don't want it to last forever. One day he'll be back in his own room two feet across the hall in our very tiny house. Heck, one day he'll be in his own house. But until then, I sleep, safe sound and secure, next to the two most important beings on this earth to me.

Dyspraxia, SPD and a Child's Work

Jam is currently 4.75 years old

Traditionally, it's been put forth that a child's work is to go to school. But my son does not go to school. Instead, Jam's week is filled with various formal and non-formal therapies like OT, swimming, hippotherapy, gymnastics, yoga, etc. All of these, together with his regularly scheduled playdates with a few good friends, make up his week. And this week makes up his schooling. And while swimming and gymnastics and yoga all sound like great fun, in actuality, it's also a lot of hard work for him.

When Jam was younger, I referred to his occupational therapy appointments as 'play' because, from his point of view, that's what they were. Lots of fun and games. And, back then, I was still trying to get buy-in from him. Today, it still is fun and games. But as he's gotten older, I've been making the shift to praise him for all of the effort and energy he puts into his 'work'. His 'work' at therapy, at the pool, at the playground.

"You've been working so hard!'

"You did amazing work at Miss S's today!"

And here's why-

I want him to see that work can be fun. Too often, 'work' carries a negative connotation- that it's, by definition, not fun, certainly not to be enjoyed and not something we'd be doing if given a better choice. That's not an association I want Jam to make, especially as a dyspraxic and given that he's going to be working hard at many things for much of his life.

I also think that using the word 'work' helps get Jam in the mindset that, while much of his life is pleasant and fun, there are also times when he needs to focus and put in serious effort because, in the end, we're spending all of this time and energy trying to accomplish something very serious.

And, lastly, by acknowledging all of the time, energy and effort that he puts in-  I want him to recognize that what he is doing is hard work and that it is legitimate and real and that he should be proud of himself. To call it anything else would be to dishonor him.

Dyspraxia and Best Resources

Jam is currently 4.75 years old

As well as being a dyspraxic mom parenting a dyspraxic kid, I also happen to be a research junkie. And I have a big ol' fancy expensive Master's Degree in Library and Information Science to back that up. I have hundreds of sites evaluated, categorized and periodically reviewed for dozens of topics of interest. And, of course, one of those topics of interest is dyspraxia.

Much of what's available online is the general 'introduction to dyspraxia' stuff- what it is, symptoms, treatments, all that. Easy to find and very basic. If you're here, though, I'm sure you've found all of that stuff on your own already.

What I want to share are a few resources that have been exceptionally valuable to me by offering more details and in-depth info specific to dyspraxia.

CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research - out of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, the CANChild site offers an amazing amount of solid information on Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia), including research, measurables and printable educational materials for parents, educators and service providers. Another place to start is this online presentation. There's so much here I can't even break it down. I practically bookmarked every single page of the site. Plus, the layout is nice and easy to navigate.

Skills for Action- this is the site of a physiotherapist in Cape Town, South Africa with many years of experience. And she happens to go into detail about everything I'm interested in- dyspraxia, low muscle tone, the highly sensitive temperament, SPD and handwriting. And she includes many practical, useful ideas. The information presented here is what directly led me to switching our therapies focus from SPD to motor skills.  

University of Hull- Understanding Dyslexia and Dyspraxia- this is a pdf available online and geared towards incoming Hull students. Focusing on the cognitive aspects of dyspraxia, it discusses, in detail, typical strengths and weaknesses, especially in terms of learning style. A major find, this is one of my favorite resources. 

OT Mom Learning Activities- created by a former pediatric occupational therapist who specialized in learning disabilities and sensory modulation disorders. She's got so much here I've ended up bookmarking dozens of pages. Coordination, midline, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, SPD and handwriting. And she does a great job of explaining what all of these things are and why they're important. And she includes a ton of activities (with photos) that my kid will actually do because they look like fun and games. Which they are!

dysTALK- this site covers many of the 'dys' conditions- dyspraxia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.  Many articles and short videos by experts (such as Amanda Kirby) plus community forums. And everything is separated out by the specific learning difficulty making for easy navigation. 

Learning Challenges Board at The Well-Trained Mind Community Forum- it is insane how much I've learned through the collective knowledge of parents at this forum. Information really hard to find elsewhere. Just do a keyword search within the forum for 'dyspraxia', 'dysgraphia', 'processing speed', 'memory', 'executive function' or what have you and plan to spend some time. I've lost many, many hours of sleep perusing this forum. 

My Experience of Dyspraxia- a girl named Izzy writes a post about her experiences growing up with mild developmental dyspraxia. What it affected, how she fared in school and where she is now. Her writing style is accessible and what she wrote resonated with me. A useful read if you're interested in what challenges may lie ahead for your kid. This was hard to find and I'm glad I did.

Mothering the Nuances- this is a blog about a young son's diagnosis of dyspraxia, hypotonia, etc. There are only 21 posts, ending in December 2011 which is really too bad. I normally wouldn't include a blog not currently being maintained but she has a great writing style and talks a lot about her son's schooling experiences which I am always interested in.

Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder by Lucy Jane Miller-   This is actually a book, not a site, but I included it because it's an important book. While there are a number of books out there focusing on SPD they don't often include much specifically on dyspraxia. This book discusses dyspraxia a lot and offers much in the way of strategies at home, at school and in the community. If your kid is dyspraxic, this is THE book.  (Note: I linked to the Amazon listing solely for the purpose of looking at customer reviews (like reverse 'showrooming'. This is most likely available through your library. Or, if you're poor like me, try to buy it used. Or please consider supporting your local independent bookstore.)

Lastly, because I'm always interested in the latest research, etc, every few months, I'll check with my local library's online health databases, like PubMed and Proquest Family Health using keywords like 'dyspraxia', 'developmental dyspraxia' and 'developmental coordination disorder'.  Jam is not on the autism spectrum but I've often found interesting research on autism with dyspraxia as a co-morbidity so I try to use a broad scope when searching. The information is still valuable. 

Dyspraxia, SPD and Worrisome Things I Don't Worry About

Jam is 4.75 years old

It sounds crazy but if I had to have a kid with dyspraxia I am so glad to have it myself. It may seem counter-intuitive because, being dyspraxic, I am a bit prone to fear and anxiety and could worry myself sick about Jam and his prospects and all that. But I don't.

I don't because I know he's going to be fine. And I know he's going to be fine because I'm fine and he's getting a lot more help and support that I ever did.

Here are some concerns specific to dyspraxia and SPD that I'm not concerned about:

Limited food palate-   Like Jam now, there wasn't much I willingly ate when I was young. On top of that, I had a bunch of food habits that would drive my mom up a wall, like only eating one thing on my plate at a time and moving my plate clock-wise when it was time to move to the next food item. (OCD, anyone?) I'm not sure why it bothered her so much but, as a result, my mom would always threaten to put my food in a blender and mix it all up and make me drink it unless I started intermingling the bites of food on my plate. On top of that, there was always the 'you're not leaving this table until you finish your…..' business. Everything had to be eaten no matter how long it took. And it could take a long, long time. Meals were, obviously, filled with anxiety and power struggles.

It wasn't until after I'd grown up and moved away that I started trying new foods. On my own, when I was ready and with no pressure. And now I love eating most everything. I'd like this to happen for Jam a lot sooner than it did for me so we don't use a lot of coercion in our house where food is concerned. He's got enough healthy items in his repertoire that he's not malnourished. It will be easier for him to overcome the mental blocks regarding new food smells and textures when he's older. And that's good enough for me right now. 

Weight-   Jam has always been a solid, heavy guy. He was born 5 weeks early but measured in at a normal birth weight so they let us go home the next day. And now that he's eating more readily, he's only gotten more solid and more heavy. To the point that his pediatrician says he's in the 80th percentile. It's not the number of calories being taken in, it's the number of calories not being burned off due to low energy. There's not a lot of energy left over when you use it all up doing regular day-to-day things.  

Don't worry, though- the pediatrician's not concerned and is not recommending any course of action. And I'm mostly not worried either. I was a chunky monkey myself. Not to the point of obesity or poor health or anything. Just on the heavier side. I see Jam's round 'buddha belly' in all of my own baby photos. But then puberty kicked in and I slimmed down. And now I rock a bootcamp-style fitness class 4 times a week.

(I will admit, though, to stealthily portioning and limiting Jam's much-beloved pasta and bread!)

Posture-   The constant nags of 'Sit up!' and 'Stop slouching!' still ring in my ears to this day. But it never had more than a minute's impact back then. It just was not possible for me to hold straight posture for more than a minute. You know what did last more than a minute? The years of constant criticism chipping away at self-esteem. That habitual feeling that everything about me was wrong and that I couldn't do anything good enough- including stand up straight. 

Don't worry- my posture improved as I aged and got stronger. And so did my self-esteem! 

Jam, of course, also slouches, especially while floor sitting and he also has always carried his shoulders up by his ears. (I think he was really scrunched in the womb!) It's all improved slowly as he's gotten stronger but when he's really tired or stressed, those shoulders start upwards again. Sometimes, I'll bring his attention to it- how those 'wily shoulders of his are trying to climb into his ears again' and he'll laugh and relax a bit. No nagging or pointed looks of disapproval. Of course, I want his posture to improve and it will, but I'm not going to subtly beat down his confidence over it.

Tip-Toeing (or Toe-Walking)-  It used to be that tip-toeing, in and of itself, raised all sorts of scary red flags. I used to tip-toe a lot as a kid and still do sometimes- the sensory input feels good. Jam still does it occasionally but I don't freak out. In fact, it seems to coincide with his developmental leaps which makes sense and is a good thing. 

I also don't worry about if Jam will ever someday learn to ride a bike or drive a car. They weren't easy for me to accomplish but they did happen and I'm thinking up ways that might make it easier for him. More in line with how his body works and how his brain learns.

He'll progress on his and in his own time. Until then, no worries here!

Dyspraxia, SPD and Things We're Not Going to Try (But Probably Should)

Jam is currently 4.75 years old

Recently, I posted on some things I'd heard about for a long time and eventually tried with success. But there are also some things I've heard all sorts of good things about that I'm not going to try. At least not now and maybe not ever.

I promise I'm not just trying to be controversial- these are big ideas in the SPD world and many people have tried these things with great success. And yet I've never been compelled enough to attempt them.

And here's why: these things are too organized, too formal, and too much work. And dyspraxics already work harder and get tired faster. One of the most important things a dyspraxic can do is learn when to expend and when to conserve their energy. And these things take a lot of energy.

Sensory Diets-   I've known all about sensory bins and sensory activities for over two years now and I confess I never made them a focused part of our day. The sensory bins- they just seemed like a lot of work with all the planning and acquiring of sensory items and rotating and dedicating time to play with them. And all the sensory exercises and activities- well, they were all just things my kid would fight tooth and nail to not do and I was not really into amping my kid's stress levels more than I had to since they were already pretty amped. And, finally, I've got big perfectionist tendencies but tempered by acute self-awareness. I'd want to do an awesome and perfectly organized job of it using some well-researched prescribed method I picked up somewhere in a book and I knew I'd never follow through on that long-term.

So I didn't even bother. Instead, I came up with my own low-stress version of a sensory diet- play a lot with a lot of things and some sensory stuff is bound to get in there somewhere. I mean, it's all 'sensory' anyway, right? I do think, though, that if Jam had been a sensory seeker rather than a sensory avoider, I would have made this more of a priority.  But now that he's older, he's coming out of his avoider behavior on his own terms. It's just taking some time. Which is fine because he's four and time is what we have right now.

Listening Therapies-   Too expensive, too complicated, too time-consuming. We've done a tiny bit of  listening therapy with our occupational therapist and only very sporadically. Very seldom with headphones, it's mostly music through the office speakers while Jam's working on gross motor skills. He seems very easily affected and has said he prefers to not listen to music while playing at home because it distracts his brain from playing. Plus I didn't want the twice-daily battles of keeping the headphones on for 30 minutes. The kid won't even wear a hat. So we just never did it. Maybe when he's older. It's a bit scary how manipulative the music is to his brain. So maybe never.

Food Diets-   Aaahhh, food diets. Gluten-free, casein-free, additive-free, sugar-free. It is so over-whelming I'm getting a headache already. Especially when food has been a huge issue in this house since the day Jam was born. We're finally at a place where he has food he'll eat. It's not a super huge  variety of food and it's a bit heavy on the carbs and it's not often he'll add a new ingredient and he's still very texture sensitive but we'll get there. I'm not too worried because I was exactly the same way when I was young and now I eat anything.

Still, I can't ignore the mounting evidence showing a connection between gut flora and dyspraxia, SPD and other conditions. I think maybe possibly trying the GAPS diet might be in our future but not anytime soon. Maybe when he's a bit older and better able to understand what we're doing and to willingly participate. And, again, if he had been a sensory seeker I might have considered this more of a priority.


Jam is on an upward spiral right now in increasing his motor skills and decreasing his SPD issues. Who's to say we wouldn't have reached this point earlier had we devoted the time, money and energy to the things above. There's no way to know. What I do know is that the path we've taken seems to be working while keeping his anxiety levels down and keeping his self-esteem up and that's how I'm measuring success these days.