What age to do evals? Suspect dysgraphia/dyslexia

[WoolC]

I've been taking a very laid back approach with my 4 year old (he'll be 5 in a couple of months). Though my signature lists some curriculum for him, in reality we've done "school" maybe 3 times this year. He's extremely bright, loves to be read to, absorbs letters and sounds, numbers etc. by osmosis it seems, so I haven't bothered with much formal work.

 

I'm concerned because we do drawing a few times of week, often following simple drawing books from the library that give you lines and shapes step by step. He can't seem to follow the simple steps and becomes extremely frustrated trying to do so. He writes with his left and right hand intecangeably with incorrect grip though I've tried coaching him on that. He knows the letters of his name but without my direction he is likely to write them upside down, flipped, even going vertically up the page rather than left to right across. When he draws on his own (which he does ver often) it's mostly scribbles and just coloring the page, not many lines/shapes.

 

I know that we're going to need to do some evaluations to sort it all out. We will do them privately as our school system testing is a joke (attempted to do it with 6 YO years ago). Is it worth it to shell out the money for private evaluations at 4 years old or we'll we be able to find out more when he is a bit older. I just don't want to waste the time and money if we are likely to get the wait and see run around at this age but I also want to get ds the help he needs as soon as possible.

[PeterPan]

Fine Motor Skills - Preschool Developmental Milestones - Children's Therapy & Family Resource Centre

 

Here's a list to let you see some of the things they're looking for.  You could go ahead and call and OT.  Some will see you and some will give you the blow-off.  So far everything you're saying is OT, and at the very least you could start doing some intentional things.  Like go in your teacher supply or toy store and find things that are marked for age 4.  Kumon workbooks for mazes, dot to dots, and cutting are good.  How does he do with those?  I wouldn't be so concerned about his ability to draw figures from instructions (which would be advanced for age and could reflect working memory or other issues), but I would be concerned if he's not comfortable doing things that are marked for his age.  

 

For me, the reality check on the SLD writing was when he was on the older end of K5 (newly 6 because of a fall b-day) and I was looking at handwriting curriculum and realizing I would have to buy him the preschool materials.  I remember telling a friend that I couldn't explain why, but I just couldn't teach him to write, that he wasn't even CLOSE to ready.  But fine motor and SLD writing aren't technically one in the same.  His fine motor is fine for age, as far as his actual ability to do things.  The SLD writing is about his ability to get all that to pull together (fine motor plus language).  

 

In other words, you can do things, but the SLD writing is more like the train wreck you watch happen in slow motion.  What you have as developmentally appropriate to work on right now is fine motor.  Are you doing the HWT preschool workbook with him?  How is that going?  Even the coloring of that was hard for my ds.  This year (6, turning 7) we were able to get him coloring more.  We use pages with small sections and only expect a bit at a time.  At that age we did paired coloring.  

 

I'm not sure it does much (good for their psyche) to work a ton on the actual writing if there's a disability.  I would go age-appropriate fun things like the Kumon books, games, wikisticks, legos, puzzles, lacing, playdough, anything that is good for their fingers.  Are you having sensory symptoms?  They won't even look for retained reflexes until like 5 or 6.  Some of this just unfolds.  Your ed and toy stores will have games that use tweezers.  Those can be good.  Things you dress/undress, like a Calliou doll.  Play washing clothes and then hang them with clothespins on a line.  

[Heathermomster]

I took my DD to OT about mid-year of kindie based upon what I was seeing, family history, and a major gut surgery she had as an infant.  OT discovered weak core and pincer grasp, one retained reflex, and motor planning issues.  DD attended OT and I used StartWrite sw, a dry erase board, the HWT app, and LOE's handwriting instructions with her.  We followed up OT with a pediatric PT that discovered some post surgery abdominal adhesions that required deep pressure massage.  As a 2nd grader, her handwriting seems about typical for her age.  I do believe early interventions benefited my DD.

 

My DS was diagnosed by a np at the beginning of 2nd grade.  If I could have a huge do over, he would have been np tested after an OT eval by mid-year 1st grade. 

 

ETA:  As far as dyslexia.  Well, I freaked about that and started reading instruction when DD was a Kindie and used a heavily scripted phonics based reading program.  DD reads very well, but I gave myself until mid-1st grade to hire a NP, which we did not need.  

[WoolC]

Ok, this is helpful, thanks.

 

So he seems to be good on his fine motor skills, lots of Legos, play dough, etc. He does well with coloring books/ kumon type stuff. We have the HWT pre-k book and he will do it in spurts, one day begging to do several pages and no interest on others.

 

I guess my concern is that he wants to be able to write/draw apart from the workbooks but he's completely overwhelmed and frustrated by it, and strong-willed kid that he is, doesn't accept much guidance from me. He has no desire to try to practice the skills he needs, he just wants to get it all out on paper, now, without the tracing, pre-requisite stuff. The drawing time is actually with my oldest but 4 YO always wants to join in and ends up very frustrated. So, like you said, I think his issue is going to be pulling it altogether and getting things on paper. I definitely have no desire to push or work on things he's not ready for. I just didn't know if there was a specific way of approaching writing for kids with these issues before we've hit the point of him feeling like he can't write well, etc.

 

He definitely has some sensory stuff going on that we try to tackle at home, our local OT isn't great for sensory. My 6 YO begins RDI and MNRI on Monday so I could just go ahead and do the reflex integration exercises with both of the boys if that might play into things.

[Heathermomster]

DD used water colors and washable markers when she was younger.  Pencil and crayon were too much, and I could not direct her at all.  

[Heathermomster]

OP, if you add anything to your kid's day, include wheelbarrow walking, cross body exercises, and the reintegration exercises.

[Tiramisu]

I'd also encourage play-do, theraputty, and crafts.

 

I might also try get the focus off of workbooks and onto fun and playful motor activity.

 

To answer your question about dysgraphia. I think it's one of those things that is diagnosed later than others, maybe not even until fourth or fifth grade according to some reading I've done lately. I like how OhE described it as watching a slow train wreck, as sad as that is. 

[wapiti]

I would also add in your basic annual vision checkup but with a COVD.

[PeterPan]

That almost sounds like a self-regulation and perfectionism thing, that he's bright and WANTS to do things that are not developmentally appropriate to keep up with big brother, then when he can't he's all melting down.  So that goes back to OT, sensory, self-regulation.

 

Ds was diagnosed in K5 with all his SLDs, but he was on the older end of his grade (fall b-day, so 6.5 by the time the ps diagnosed) and with a gifted IQ that gave a huge discrepancy.  The first psych wouldn't diagnose them all at the beginning of the year, mainly because it just needed more time to become obvious.  You really have that waiting game.

 

I really like the preschool gymnastics programs at the Y and highly recommend them.  They're going to be in there working on core, hand strength, climbing ropes, crawling on their hands, motor planning through obstacle courses, etc.  It's a lot of stuff you'd pay money for in OT, and you can do it at the Y relatively affordably.  LOVE our Y.  

 

I *think* they said 5 was that dividing line for the reflexes where they didn't work on them till then.  But, you know, ask your therapist whose working with your other ds.  When my ds was little he was doing stuff and I would ask dd's OT at the time and she would just totally blow it off.  Like really??  This person supposedly knew sensory, supposedly this and that, but they still don't even use their heads, don't look at family history and obvious genetics and act like you just need to assume everything is a zero/nothing.  If you have a dc doing RDI, you already know you have stuff going on.  EI would intervene till age 3, then the ps takes over.  Sometimes the ps are not helpful, but honestly around here it's surprising HOW in-touch with SPD the ps OTs really are.  These people are on the firing lines, literally, where they're being asked to take kids who are non-functional and make them able to function in a classroom.  Some of these ps OTs really kick butt.

[kbutton]

Total aside, but will you tell us what RDI is like when you get going? I've been wanting to know.

[WoolC]

Total aside, but will you tell us what RDI is like when you get going? I've been wanting to know.

Yes, I definitely will. I had been researching for awhile on what therapy to pursue and was lucky enough to find a RDI consultant in our area that is covered 50% under our insurance as an SLP and she is a really good fit for our family. We started with our baseline videos this week and our consultant is also certified in MNRI so she assessed reflexes too. We start a mixed program next week, praying that it's going to help with regulation and anxiety. I'll start a new thread once we've been at it awhile to update.