Who diagnosed dysgraphia for your DC?

[displace]

We had a battery of testing for DS6 about a year ago by an ed pysch for performance under grade level in most subjects. Only thing that came up was high IQ.

 

Since then performance has improved in all subjects but handwriting is still mostly bad. I've been doing HWT, as well as having PT work with HWT too.

 

I'm concerned maybe it was missed by Ed psych and we need to see someone else. But whom? Can an Ed psych diagnose dysgraphia?

 

I guess it would be Neuropsych? We afterschool BTW, so having accommodations for school may be a big difference if recs are to type vs write, dictate, etc. Also, would a school pick this up with their testing or would we have to pursue it independently? Testing professionals he saw have been: peds PT, pediatrician, Ed psych (not academically affiliated, also did dyslexia testing), and regular optometrist. Thanks for any insight at all! If performance is lacking we need to get retested since DS was, and is, so young!

[geodob]

You might rather look at this, as building a case for you son to bypass handwriting, and go straight to developing skills in current methods of recording and communicating information?

Where you use the professionals that he has already seen. To demonstrate that forcing him to use 'hand-writing'?    Would unnecessarily impede his learning.

Where the accommodations that he needs access to, are already the standard methods of recording and communicating information.

 

Though I'm writing from Australia, where the govt recently announced?

That schools will be making a transition to all tests being done on a keyboard.

To do a test using handwriting, will require formal application for an accommodation to use a Pen instead of a Keyboard.

 

 

[Lecka]

Locally it is OT that will work on dysgraphia/handwriting/fine motor.  However, locally they cannot diagnose.  

 

I think you went to the right professional when he was 6, but I think he might have been on the young side.   B/c -- a 6-year-old is only expected to be at a 6-year-old level, even if he was a little behind, it wouldn't be so behind.  If he stayed at the same level with no progress, he would test the next time as a year or two or whatever behind.  

 

Personally I think it is worth trying OT.  There are kids who make massive progress with OT.  I have met people whose kids had a weak muscle somewhere that was strengthened, or something like that, that would be next to impossible for a parent to figure out.  But -- the OT found it and knew what exercises to do.  

 

I have been told by two OTs (school and private) that my son has dysgraphia, and he has exited services. They have done what they can for him.  But ------ he is so, so, so much in a better place with his handwriting.  It is just that it is still poor.  But it is like -- the difference between being at a pre-school/K level, and being at a 1st/2nd grade level ------- that is a HUGE difference.  

 

We had a good experience with OT, that is the bottom line.  

 

That is who I would see, personally.  I would see what happened with OT and then if there was still trouble I would move on to testing down the line.  Then I do think an ed psych can diagnosis.  We have not followed up because I don't think we would get anything out of it right now.  We are in a good situation.  

 

http://www.handwriting-solutions.com/dysgraphia.asp

 

This is the website I was told to look at by the school OT.   

 

School did not pick up my son's.  Well, they did and they didn't.  His teacher, who is a good teacher, thought he was not doing his best work.  She thought he had ADHD.  I didn't think he had ADHD and that he was doing his best work.  I wrote a note requesting that he be tested.  His teacher was like -- oh, so will you agree to ADHD testing too?  I agreed then.  I had not agreed before.  The school psych declined to do IQ testing.  He had speech, OT, and ADHD screenings.  

 

It came back that he did not have elevated levels for ADHD, but he had some crazy low results on the OT screening.  He had been in speech therapy before, and they kept him on for speech, so that he could have speech as a primary qualifying condition.  

 

Where I am, it is difficult to get OT as a stand-alone service.  It is easier if you have a primary qualifying condition, to also get OT.  That is just how they did the paperwork for him, otherwise he would have had Developmental Delay as his primary thing, and they didn't want to do that, and I didn't either.  

 

So honestly -- I would not 100% go by the school OT, b/c they have to have such low scores to qualify.  There is a range of kids who can benefit from OT, but who don't  qualify for school-based services (locally).  So I think it might be worth requesting the school testing but also considering a private OT eval.  

 

What I would watch out for ------ timed math facts.  This was the big issue.  I went to my son's teacher (2nd grade) after he cried at home over not being able to finish, and she took him off of them the next day.  He went in the hall to do them orally with an aide.  But ----- he was acting like everything was FINE at school.  His teacher had NO idea.  I can NOT rely on the teacher to inform me of things from school b/c my son is an "internalizer" and he will not show things at school, he wants to fit in with the other kids.  That is what the school psychologist said at the meeting.  He said some students are internalizers and some are externalizers, and my son scored very high on being an internalizer on the ADHD screening.  But that is just like -- a personality trait.  But it has been good to know.  

 

Locally teachers we have had so far do not know about dysgraphia.  They are all about hand exercises or waiting for kids to develop.  At least in younger grades.  I would not count on a teacher to bring it up.  

 

  

 

[FairProspects]

A neuropsych diagnosed my boys.

[Tokyomarie]

A school psychologist actually issued the diagnosis in our case, but it was based on multiple test reports from other professionals, including a neuropsychologist, an OT, and a SLP, plus a few of her own tests. By the time my son was identified, he was given a diagnosis of "Disorder of Written Expression" that included both the physical aspects of handwriting and the composition difficulties that were part of his dyslexia profile. Tests related to the physical aspect of handwriting were done by the neuropsychologist and the OT.

[Lecka]

I am going to add -- my son's OTs did not think HWT was appropriate for him as he was getting to be in 2nd and 3rd grade.  They like HWT, but he has not progressing with it, iykwim.  

 

There are other programs out there.  He did some Loops and Other Groups http://www.pearsonclinical.com/therapy/products/100000277/loops-and-other-groups-a-kinesthetic-writing-system.html   It is good for him b/c he has perceptual delays but he is stronger in motor memory.  He still has trouble but he improved working with this program, more improvement than he had with HWT.  

 

When the OT does her assessment, she can see what his weaker and stronger areas are.  She picked a program that was designed to most help his weakest area, and most take advantage of his biggest strength.  

 

You might ask the PT you are seeing if there is an OT that he/she knows of to recommend.  Or, the PT might already be doing a great job with handwriting.  I just liked the OTs my son saw.  

 

In our case, it would be the school OT who we would talk to about accommodations past the level of teacher-level.  So far my son has really only had teacher-level. This has been -- the teacher talking to him, the teacher or a classmate writing some for him.  Just having the teacher know he is doing his best is most important so far.  

[AMJ]

We had a battery of testing for DS6 about a year ago by an ed pysch for performance under grade level in most subjects. Only thing that came up was high IQ.

 

Since then performance has improved in all subjects but handwriting is still mostly bad. I've been doing HWT, as well as having PT work with HWT too.

 

I'm concerned maybe it was missed by Ed psych and we need to see someone else. But whom? Can an Ed psych diagnose dysgraphia?

 

I guess it would be Neuropsych? We afterschool BTW, so having accommodations for school may be a big difference if recs are to type vs write, dictate, etc. Also, would a school pick this up with their testing or would we have to pursue it independently? Testing professionals he saw have been: peds PT, pediatrician, Ed psych (not academically affiliated, also did dyslexia testing), and regular optometrist. Thanks for any insight at all! If performance is lacking we need to get retested since DS was, and is, so young!

 

DD13's dysgraphia was spotted by a neuropsych, when we had her tested for other things.

 

I would also recommend you consider taking your child to a child's eye specialist to be tested for vision function issues.  This is not the same a acuity (regular eye exams), in which the clearness of vision through the eyeballs is the only thing checked.  We caught DD13's vision function problems at a much younger age than her ADD, dysgraphia, and other related issues.  It made a world of difference.

[SandyKC]

I'm concerned maybe it was missed by Ed psych and we need to see someone else. But whom? Can an Ed psych diagnose dysgraphia?

 

I guess it would be Neuropsych? We afterschool BTW, so having accommodations for school may be a big difference if recs are to type vs write, dictate, etc. Also, would a school pick this up with their testing or would we have to pursue it independently? Testing professionals he saw have been: peds PT, pediatrician, Ed psych (not academically affiliated, also did dyslexia testing), and regular optometrist. Thanks for any insight at all! If performance is lacking we need to get retested since DS was, and is, so young!

 

For our DS', our neuropsych diagnosed the dysgraphia.  An Occupational Therapist (a good one) would be a good second choice for the handwriting aspect of dysgraphia.  Issues with writing by hand often involve deficits in visual perception, eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills, executive functions for letter placement and spacing, etc.  

 

There is a LOT that can play into difficulties with writing and it is entirely possible for an Ed Psych to miss things because she will not go as far into depth when testing as a a neuropsych will. 

 

A school may or may not pick it up in their testing and it totally depends upon the school's willingness and thoroughness in their evaluations.  A LOT Of schools won't pick it up and/or will dismiss the issues unless the child is in their school and having significant struggles.

 

MANY schools have poor practices of waiting for failure before intervening. (I just wrote an article about "Four Public School Practices that Equate to Educational Neglect for Kids with Dyslexia" last week (applies to dysgraphia too)--worth a read if your child is in public school.) 

 

Therefore, I would not count on your school to be effective and timely with their testing unless they have a reputation for being on top of things.  SOME schools ARE, so that is a true blessing if you have a proactive, great school that way!

 

Otherwise, pursuing evaluation independently can be your shortest route to the right kind(s) of help.  Hope that helps!

[Lecka]

Oh, I am going to add another thing.  

 

Since your child has a higher IQ, you need to consider that he may be "compensating."  This means -- maybe since he has a higher IQ, he is managing to squeak by with his handwriting.  It can be the difference between his teacher noticing, or not noticing.  

 

There is an element of compensating with my son.  It is like -- it means I need to watch out, and keep in mind that he may be difficult for the teacher to pick out as having handwriting problems.  

 

It means he can come across, easily, as someone who is not trying.  

 

He does well with oral work and classroom discussions, but then his seatwork is not very good.  The teacher has to fill in the blank for "why is that."  It is easy for them to fill in the blank with "the child is not trying very hard, the child doesn't care about seatwork."  So I think it is important to fill in the blank with "the child is doing his best work but has struggles with handwriting, here is some info from his OT assessment, here is some background of things we have tried and things his previous teachers have found to work well for him."  

 

Compensating is good and bad.  It is good if it means he can still do things.  It is bad if it means he is not recognized as doing his best.  

 

But a higher IQ is something that can allow kids to compensate for their weaker areas, and it is hard to know that, I think.  

 

 

[displace]

Thanks for all the replies so far! I'm on my phone so I won't write right now, but I will try to come back later for individual replies.

[Lecka]

Sandy, I just read the article you linked.  

 

I agree with it all.  

 

I have had many wonderful experiences with my son's school, overall I am extremely pleased, those things are not the whole story of what his school is like -- and yet the article is completely true.  Complete with my son being recommended for retention in K with no social or behavior problems!  

[Heathermomster]

A NP diagnosed son's dysgraphia. 

[displace]

You might rather look at this, as building a case for you son to bypass handwriting, and go straight to developing skills in current methods of recording and communicating information?

Where you use the professionals that he has already seen. To demonstrate that forcing him to use 'hand-writing'?    Would unnecessarily impede his learning.

Where the accommodations that he needs access to, are already the standard methods of recording and communicating information.

 

Though I'm writing from Australia, where the govt recently announced?

That schools will be making a transition to all tests being done on a keyboard.

To do a test using handwriting, will require formal application for an accommodation to use a Pen instead of a Keyboard.

 

I am hopeful we can do this.  Though handwriting is not officially graded, they do have a state writing test they ?must? pass, and one of his scores was "communication" type of grade, which he was below skills in due to illegibility.

[displace]

Locally it is OT that will work on dysgraphia/handwriting/fine motor.  However, locally they cannot diagnose.  

 

I think you went to the right professional when he was 6, but I think he might have been on the young side.   B/c -- a 6-year-old is only expected to be at a 6-year-old level, even if he was a little behind, it wouldn't be so behind.  If he stayed at the same level with no progress, he would test the next time as a year or two or whatever behind.  

 

Personally I think it is worth trying OT.  There are kids who make massive progress with OT.  I have met people whose kids had a weak muscle somewhere that was strengthened, or something like that, that would be next to impossible for a parent to figure out.  But -- the OT found it and knew what exercises to do.  

 

I have been told by two OTs (school and private) that my son has dysgraphia, and he has exited services. They have done what they can for him.  But ------ he is so, so, so much in a better place with his handwriting.  It is just that it is still poor.  But it is like -- the difference between being at a pre-school/K level, and being at a 1st/2nd grade level ------- that is a HUGE difference.  

 

We had a good experience with OT, that is the bottom line.  

 

That is who I would see, personally.  I would see what happened with OT and then if there was still trouble I would move on to testing down the line.  Then I do think an ed psych can diagnosis.  We have not followed up because I don't think we would get anything out of it right now.  We are in a good situation.  

 

http://www.handwriting-solutions.com/dysgraphia.asp

 

This is the website I was told to look at by the school OT.   

 

School did not pick up my son's.  Well, they did and they didn't.  His teacher, who is a good teacher, thought he was not doing his best work.  She thought he had ADHD.  I didn't think he had ADHD and that he was doing his best work.  I wrote a note requesting that he be tested.  His teacher was like -- oh, so will you agree to ADHD testing too?  I agreed then.  I had not agreed before.  The school psych declined to do IQ testing.  He had speech, OT, and ADHD screenings.  

 

It came back that he did not have elevated levels for ADHD, but he had some crazy low results on the OT screening.  He had been in speech therapy before, and they kept him on for speech, so that he could have speech as a primary qualifying condition.  

 

Where I am, it is difficult to get OT as a stand-alone service.  It is easier if you have a primary qualifying condition, to also get OT.  That is just how they did the paperwork for him, otherwise he would have had Developmental Delay as his primary thing, and they didn't want to do that, and I didn't either.  

 

So honestly -- I would not 100% go by the school OT, b/c they have to have such low scores to qualify.  There is a range of kids who can benefit from OT, but who don't  qualify for school-based services (locally).  So I think it might be worth requesting the school testing but also considering a private OT eval.  

 

What I would watch out for ------ timed math facts.  This was the big issue.  I went to my son's teacher (2nd grade) after he cried at home over not being able to finish, and she took him off of them the next day.  He went in the hall to do them orally with an aide.  But ----- he was acting like everything was FINE at school.  His teacher had NO idea.  I can NOT rely on the teacher to inform me of things from school b/c my son is an "internalizer" and he will not show things at school, he wants to fit in with the other kids.  That is what the school psychologist said at the meeting.  He said some students are internalizers and some are externalizers, and my son scored very high on being an internalizer on the ADHD screening.  But that is just like -- a personality trait.  But it has been good to know.  

 

Locally teachers we have had so far do not know about dysgraphia.  They are all about hand exercises or waiting for kids to develop.  At least in younger grades.  I would not count on a teacher to bring it up.  

 

I'm not certain if the person whom we saw was a PT or an OT but I suspect a PT.  I'm more than willing to get a second opinion at a larger facility.  That was our first testing to eval for fine motor skills.  Technically she said he was on age (he was 5 at the time).  She offered to work with him (body and fine motor), but we ended up just going to a local handwriting PT d/t logistics.  I was discouraged by his teacher to request testing through the school because she felt he wasn't far enough behind to get services.  After talking to the local PT she recommended requesting testing by the school and he may be able to get handwriting services through the school.  And since DS was tested so early for everything, we realize there may still be a LD (dysgraphia or something else) that did not show up yet but will in the future.

 

The hesitation and timing of our school journey prompted me to go to a private ed psych last year for testing.  We paid out of pocket, and I've already researched neuropsych testing through our insurance and I doubt it will ever be covered.  But if we need further testing we will seek that.

[Lecka]

My son was more 7-8 when he started OT.  It was not noticeable the same way when he was younger.  

[displace]

DD13's dysgraphia was spotted by a neuropsych, when we had her tested for other things.

 

I would also recommend you consider taking your child to a child's eye specialist to be tested for vision function issues. This is not the same a acuity (regular eye exams), in which the clearness of vision through the eyeballs is the only thing checked. We caught DD13's vision function problems at a much younger age than her ADD, dysgraphia, and other related issues. It made a world of difference.

Do you mean a developmental optometrist or Ped ophthalmologist?

 

We saw a regular optometrist. But I'm considering ophthalmologist and could do developmental optometrist if needed. What are signs they need to be consulted?

[displace]

For our DS', our neuropsych diagnosed the dysgraphia. An Occupational Therapist (a good one) would be a good second choice for the handwriting aspect of dysgraphia. Issues with writing by hand often involve deficits in visual perception, eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills, executive functions for letter placement and spacing, etc.

 

There is a LOT that can play into difficulties with writing and it is entirely possible for an Ed Psych to miss things because she will not go as far into depth when testing as a a neuropsych will.

 

A school may or may not pick it up in their testing and it totally depends upon the school's willingness and thoroughness in their evaluations. A LOT Of schools won't pick it up and/or will dismiss the issues unless the child is in their school and having significant struggles.

 

MANY schools have poor practices of waiting for failure before intervening. (I just wrote an article about "Four Public School Practices that Equate to Educational Neglect for Kids with Dyslexia" last week (applies to dysgraphia too)--worth a read if your child is in public school.)

 

Therefore, I would not count on your school to be effective and timely with their testing unless they have a reputation for being on top of things. SOME schools ARE, so that is a true blessing if you have a proactive, great school that way!

 

Otherwise, pursuing evaluation independently can be your shortest route to the right kind(s) of help. Hope that helps!

Yes, I've noticed the schools seem to just do what's required. We've been doing testing independently because of speediness, but as DS is so young and may possibly need more testing in the future we may have to resort to pressing school for help testing as financially it may be necessary.

[displace]

Oh, I am going to add another thing.

 

Since your child has a higher IQ, you need to consider that he may be "compensating." This means -- maybe since he has a higher IQ, he is managing to squeak by with his handwriting. It can be the difference between his teacher noticing, or not noticing.

 

There is an element of compensating with my son. It is like -- it means I need to watch out, and keep in mind that he may be difficult for the teacher to pick out as having handwriting problems.

 

It means he can come across, easily, as someone who is not trying.

 

He does well with oral work and classroom discussions, but then his seatwork is not very good. The teacher has to fill in the blank for "why is that." It is easy for them to fill in the blank with "the child is not trying very hard, the child doesn't care about seatwork." So I think it is important to fill in the blank with "the child is doing his best work but has struggles with handwriting, here is some info from his OT assessment, here is some background of things we have tried and things his previous teachers have found to work well for him."

 

Compensating is good and bad. It is good if it means he can still do things. It is bad if it means he is not recognized as doing his best.

 

But a higher IQ is something that can allow kids to compensate for their weaker areas, and it is hard to know that, I think.

Yes. When we first had problems with achievement I was very concerned about what was going on. Then I assumed a LD or 2E. No LD was found but he is young and it could still be a possibility.

 

His achievement is still below average for writing.

[Heathermomster]

We had a battery of testing for DS6 about a year ago by an ed pysch for performance under grade level in most subjects. Only thing that came up was high IQ.

 

Since then performance has improved in all subjects but handwriting is still mostly bad. I've been doing HWT, as well as having PT work with HWT too.

 

I'm concerned maybe it was missed by Ed psych and we need to see someone else. But whom? Can an Ed psych diagnose dysgraphia?

 

I guess it would be Neuropsych? We afterschool BTW, so having accommodations for school may be a big difference if recs are to type vs write, dictate, etc. Also, would a school pick this up with their testing or would we have to pursue it independently? Testing professionals he saw have been: peds PT, pediatrician, Ed psych (not academically affiliated, also did dyslexia testing), and regular optometrist. Thanks for any insight at all! If performance is lacking we need to get retested since DS was, and is, so young!

I'm not clear about your posting and the idea is nagging me.  What is your son's present age and grade? When is his birth month?

 

For the life of me, I'm trying to figure out why a 5 year boy would be under grade level in most subjects.  What subjects are we talking about?  When I re-read your posting, it seems like he is struggling with penmanship only. Is that correct?

 

If he was tested and no LDs were discovered, is it possible that he needs a little more time to develop and the powers at the public school are simply pushing him into something that he is not ready for?  Boys are notoriously delayed for penmanship.  Is he complaining about hand pain when he writes?  I'm just trying to get a clearer picture.

[FairProspects]

I'm not clear about your posting and the idea is nagging me.  What is your son's present age and grade? When is his birth month?

 

For the life of me, I'm trying to figure out why a 5 year boy would be under grade level in most subjects.  What subjects are we talking about?  When I re-read your posting, it seems like he is struggling with penmanship only. Is that correct?

 

If he was tested and no LDs were discovered, is it possible that he needs a little more time to develop and the powers at the public school are simply pushing him into something that he is not ready for?  Boys are notoriously delayed for penmanship.  Is he complaining about hand pain when he writes?  I'm just trying to get a clearer picture.

 

Not grade level exactly, but ds qualified for OT at age 5 because of fine motor/penmanship issues. He was behind the developmental milestones at that point.

[displace]

I'm not clear about your posting and the idea is nagging me. What is your son's present age and grade? When is his birth month?

 

For the life of me, I'm trying to figure out why a 5 year boy would be under grade level in most subjects. What subjects are we talking about? When I re-read your posting, it seems like he is struggling with penmanship only. Is that correct?

 

If he was tested and no LDs were discovered, is it possible that he needs a little more time to develop and the powers at the public school are simply pushing him into something that he is not ready for? Boys are notoriously delayed for penmanship. Is he complaining about hand pain when he writes? I'm just trying to get a clearer picture.

He will be six in first grade, late summer birthday (so young for his class).

 

When we first did testing it was after being behind for all core subjects (3Rs). The school is pretty academically advanced and I feel press the kids too hard and too soon. But we did testing at 5.5 in K to eval for LD as I didn't want to retain for K. This was an option brought up by teacher as a possibility. By the end of the school year he was satisfactory in reading and math but not writing. The reading has improved so greatly I'm not really concerned. But the writing is... Difficult to read. Unless we're practicing and going slowly, making me concerned regarding dysgraphia still.

 

He might be just slow to develop or even normal and just the school is too pushy. But it's affecting his grades and ability to communicate written thoughts.

 

Don't get me going on the school and how they teach core subjects either! I'll never stop talking :)

[AMJ]

Do you mean a developmental optometrist or Ped ophthalmologist?

 

We saw a regular optometrist. But I'm considering ophthalmologist and could do developmental optometrist if needed. What are signs they need to be consulted?

Not just any optometrist or opthamalogist. Ask your pediatrician for recommendations, and ask the places you are referred to if they test for vision FUNCTION problems (not just acuity) and provide vision therapy.

 

I had never even heard of vision function before the eye specialist told us she suspected a problem and asked us to approve a full evaluation. We had initially gone because we suspected DD13 (then in 1st grade) to be far-sighted despite passing a school vision screening. She was, and had several vision function issues, too (among other issues later diagnosed). We were amazed when her farsightedness cleared up along with the other issues during vision therapy. It was a life-changer.

 

Indicators of vision function problems can be quite varied, as there are several types of vision function issues (and a child might have more than one problem, like our DD13). Here are some websites for more information:

 

http://pavevision.org/ -- a non-profit org of parents educating parents

http://www.visionandlearning.org/ -- really great info here

http://www.children-special-needs.org/ -- from Optometrists Network, info about children's vision health

http://www.covd.org/ -- College of Optometrists in Vision Health

 

Talk to the eye specialist about having an exam to determine if a full evaluation is needed. DD13's issues were first spotted during a routine eye exam because the person doing the exam was well-versed in vision function, too, and recognized some signs. Full evaluations are lengthy and expensive, so have them do an exam first to see of the evaluation is even called for.

[Heathermomster]

Do you have a family history of dysgraphia/dyspraxia/sensory type issues?

[displace]

Not just any optometrist or opthamalogist. Ask your pediatrician for recommendations, and ask the places you are referred to if they test for vision FUNCTION problems (not just acuity) and provide vision therapy.

 

I had never even heard of vision function before the eye specialist told us she suspected a problem and asked us to approve a full evaluation. We had initially gone because we suspected DD13 (then in 1st grade) to be far-sighted despite passing a school vision screening. She was, and had several vision function issues, too (among other issues later diagnosed). We were amazed when her farsightedness cleared up along with the other issues during vision therapy. It was a life-changer.

 

Indicators of vision function problems can be quite varied, as there are several types of vision function issues (and a child might have more than one problem, like our DD13). Here are some websites for more information:

 

http://pavevision.org/ -- a non-profit org of parents educating parents

http://www.visionandlearning.org/ -- really great info here

http://www.children-special-needs.org/ -- from Optometrists Network, info about children's vision health

http://www.covd.org/ -- College of Optometrists in Vision Health

 

Talk to the eye specialist about having an exam to determine if a full evaluation is needed. DD13's issues were first spotted during a routine eye exam because the person doing the exam was well-versed in vision function, too, and recognized some signs. Full evaluations are lengthy and expensive, so have them do an exam first to see of the evaluation is even called for.

Thank you for this thoughtful reply. I will do more research on it!

[displace]

Do you have a family history of dysgraphia/dyspraxia/sensory type issues?

Not that I'm aware of. Dyslexia yes.

 

ETA not severe sensory issues but DS displays similar eating complaints I had at his age with texture,etc.

[Heathermomster]

We are kind of in the same boat as far as the handwriting goes.  My DD experiences hand pain when she writes and has been in and out of OT.  OT tested her visual processing and DD tests years above her age.  She turned 6 yo late December and started writing complete sentences in May.  I am watching her carefully and expect we will see a NP next summer if we don't see improvement by then.  In the meantime, we use a CMish approach.  DD copies one sentence per day from a read aloud story with her name and date.

 

My DS tests gifted with dysgraphia.  Dysgraphia affects all of his written output, across all subjects.  No amount of handwriting practice in the world will speed up his handwriting or make it more legible after 5 minutes of handwriting.  When DS was younger, I deeply regret making him continue to hand write.  Looking back, I should have scribed for him as much as possible.  Even with the dysgraphia diagnosis, his private school teachers did not understand the nature of dysgraphia and offered no real alternative to the pencil.  The handwriting stressed him out and he missed many recesses and breaks.

 

Have you considered homeschooling?  After the classroom experiences with DS, homeschooling has made life much more pleasant for both my kiddos.

 

 

[displace]

We are kind of in the same boat as far as the handwriting goes.  My DD experiences hand pain when she writes and has been in and out of OT.  OT tested her visual processing and DD tests years above her age.  She turned 6 yo late December and started writing complete sentences in May.  I am watching her carefully and expect we will see a NP next summer if we don't see improvement by then.  In the meantime, we use a CMish approach.  DD copies one sentence per day from a read aloud story with her name and date.

 

My DS tests gifted with dysgraphia.  Dysgraphia affects all of his written output, across all subjects.  No amount of handwriting practice in the world will speed up his handwriting or make it more legible after 5 minutes of handwriting.  When DS was younger, I deeply regret making him continue to hand write.  Looking back, I should have scribed for him as much as possible.  Even with the dysgraphia diagnosis, his private school teachers did not understand the nature of dysgraphia and offered no real alternative to the pencil.  The handwriting stressed him out and he missed many recesses and breaks.

 

Have you considered homeschooling?  After the classroom experiences with DS, homeschooling has made life much more pleasant for both my kiddos.

 

I'm not sure what CMish is (charlotte mason?).  We have considered homeschooling but it's a very complicated decision for us.  DS went from hating school last year to liking it.  I feel that if he's doing well in school and he likes it, I'm ok-ish with it.  If he's not doing well or doesn't like it, it's an easier thought to transition to HS.  As he doesn't have a dysgraphia diagnosis it also makes it harder and more confusing.  I know handwriting is ramped up in first grade.  We've been working on handwriting, I do feel it has improved with supervision, but unsupervised I'm still concerned how school will go.  Then again, he made leaps and bounds with his reading in a short amount of time, and I'm hoping as DS ages it will improve.  If not, then further testing, etc.  I think I'll start asking separate threads about vision therapy and costs of neuropsych testing.  To start preparing.

 

Just to add: I think if he does have dysgraphia that part of schooling would be much easier homeschooled, because what do I care if he answers a question orally or written or typed?  But I know school can't have 20 kids dictating their answers as it isn't practical. 

 

[PeterPan]

Displace, you asked for straight talk in the other thread.  Do you want it here?  You have a child who is at the youngest end of his grade, a situation where some/many parents would choose to redshirt a boy.  You have schools switching over to Common Core right now, with AGGRESSIVE new standards that are astonishing the teachers and causing MANY kids to be labeled as behind from day one.  I spent two weeks of swim classes at the pool talking with a reading intervention teacher DISTRAUGHT over what is happening right now. (K5ers tested the first week and immediately labeled as behind/remedial if they can't do xyz, etc. etc.)

 

So you have NO assurance that what is being asked of him is developmentally appropriate, and he's a YEAR YOUNG to boot!

 

What you're describing (very bright child, ps not able to work with him due to inflexible standards, not fitting whether he's a grade up or grade down), is what drives many people to homeschool.

 

That's the straight talk.   :)

 

But sure, get his vision checked.  I'm just saying if they're doing as much stuff as I'm seeing online and hearing in person, it's the CC standards, not him, and it's a losing battle.  You'd end up grade adjusting down to keep him physical happy or keeping him up and having him struggle.  Or pull him out and homeschool.

 

[displace]

Displace, you asked for straight talk in the other thread.  Do you want it here?  You have a child who is at the youngest end of his grade, a situation where some/many parents would choose to redshirt a boy.  You have schools switching over to Common Core right now, with AGGRESSIVE new standards that are astonishing the teachers and causing MANY kids to be labeled as behind from day one.  I spent two weeks of swim classes at the pool talking with a reading intervention teacher DISTRAUGHT over what is happening right now. (K5ers tested the first week and immediately labeled as behind/remedial if they can't do xyz, etc. etc.)

 

So you have NO assurance that what is being asked of him is developmentally appropriate, and he's a YEAR YOUNG to boot!

 

What you're describing (very bright child, ps not able to work with him due to inflexible standards, not fitting whether he's a grade up or grade down), is what drives many people to homeschool.

 

That's the straight talk.   :)

 

But sure, get his vision checked.  I'm just saying if they're doing as much stuff as I'm seeing online and hearing in person, it's the CC standards, not him, and it's a losing battle.  You'd end up grade adjusting down to keep him physical happy or keeping him up and having him struggle.  Or pull him out and homeschool.

 

Yes, straight talk here is welcomed also. 

 

Your post is at the crux of all of this.  PS now is not what PS was when I was younger.  And you're right.  A lot of the requirements with core curriculum and other academically pushy schools are not developmentally appropriate.  I do realize this.  On one hand, we have a young child doing advanced work that years ago was probably 1st grade level, not K.  Plus they use teaching methods that don't correspond with his logical thinking (for instance, once I started afterschooling phonics his reading improved quickly vs their "comprehensive approach").  I could blab forever about PS requirements, teaching methods, core curriculum, etc.  But for the moment we're in PS and we are adjusting to their standards. 

 

On the other hand, he's gifted.  He has "caught up" to the PS standards and now likes school.  Because he is young it's almost as if he skipped ahead already which ?may? be a benefit to keep him challenged. 

 

There's no easy answer for us.  We started homeschooling and I was unaware of current standards, having DS perform well below what was required when we switched to PS.  Our family dynamic may not really make it possible to effectively HS, though I don't know for sure but suspect based on our afterschooling together.  It's not a definitive No, but it's a We'll see approach to regarding HS.

 

ETA: This is why I'm considering further testing.  If dysgraphia or vision problems are a diagnosis and the schools still can't accommodate him or if DS is struggling or dislikes PS, that would sway us to consider HS more strongly (is that grammatically accurate?).  Without any known deficiencies, we're hopeful he will mature and rise to the challenge.

[Heathermomster]

Did I read correctly that your DS was a preemie?  If so, how many weeks premature was he?

[Timberly]

.

[displace]

Did I read correctly that your DS was a preemie?  If so, how many weeks premature was he?

 

Yes, I guessed at least 5 to maybe 5.5/6 weeks. 

[displace]

My dysgraphic DS was 6 weeks premature. He has exceptional gross motor skills, yet horrible fine motor skills - if I didn't see that combo with my own eyes, I'd never have considered it possible.

 

DS has to work hard for most gross and fine motor accomplishments.  Fortunately he enjoys activity a lot and can run forever, plus he really likes to swim so I'm grateful he likes those things. 

[Hottater]

Wow... i didn't know he was so young. Wow that is early... 

[Tap]

DD's boyfriend was diagnosed by the school district. He suffered until 7th grade and finally got diagnosed. 

[Hottater]

I was thinking about you. I didn't read everything just the first 3 posts. If you understand a little of the differences between some types of diagnoses and the differences between symptoms, it helps you figure stuff out too, before taking any big leaps anywhere, or even to just understand some of the problems so you can better equip yourself with the proper questions on your visit to Covd optometrist or pediatric ophthalmologist or Neuro Psych. http://irlen.com/?p=993 This page discusses visual dyslexia vs. Irlen syndrome. One is not the other, and both are very closely related to vision issues, but a person needing VT is someone who actually has a vision issue for example where the eye has more of muscle issue or where both eyes aren't working together well, not a visual processing issue where interpretation of information is affected closer to the brain. I think of the image like going through a wire. Where does the image distort? At the cornea, lens, retina,  along the neural pathways, or at the brain? VT is for those who can fix it on the front end, not the brain end.  And, what type of lexia? Look up the types and see if any of them seem to match. Also I didn't realize your kid was so young. Some things may not be developmentally appropriate milestones to hit either, but you knowing what to notice will help him down the line too.

 

edited.