MicheleB Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Maybe this is a silly question but I'm curious... My 9yo who has some learning delays and does not handwrite well, etc., colors very nicely, in the lines and is very careful. It does take him a long time to do so, but he can and he wants to. My 7yo who seems to have *some* of the same issues as his brother, but in variation, does not color very well and seems to have a hard time staying in lines. I just very gently asked him one day if he didn't want to try to stay in the lines (wrong thing to ask!) and he said, He was (but he wasn't). He of course seemed offended.... He LOVES to color and will sit and color and draw by the hour. Is not staying in the lines possibly a "symptom" of the other issues (as of yet undiagnosed)? Is it something to strive for, or should I "work" on it? I mean, I won't stand over top of him and make him color in the lines, but if it's something we can work on, I'm all for suggestions. Sorry if this is just too silly.... I am really curious.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I honestly don't know if it has any significance or not. However, it seems to me that the inability to stay within the lines when coloring indicates a fine motor problem. My dd, who is a remediated dyslexic and diagnosed borderline dysgraphic, can draw beautiful fine art portraits. She has no fine motor problems. However, she has terrible handwriting that is very slow. This is because a different part of the brain is used with writing because language is involved. Dysgraphia is a disorder of written expression which may or may not involve poor fine motor skills. I'm thinking your 9yo may be dysgraphic, while your 7yo may have fine motor delays. Just my speculation....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleB Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 I think that's good insight Claire. I have been wondering about 7yo the last few months esp. in light of 9yo's issues. 7yo is also reversing a lot (he'll be 8 in June) and showing me some "red flags" I guess you could say. I am going to get them both appts. with the neuropsych. The one I've been waiting for now for 3 months is on medical leave and may not be back, so I'm scheduling with another one just in case. Also have the ST going for 7yo and ST eval for 9yo in the works and will be getting OT eval set up for 9yo. I'm guessing 7yo should be set up for OT eval as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 lines either and he had fine motor control problems (along with many ther problems) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleB Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 lines either and he had fine motor control problems (along with many ther problems) Thanks Kathy. I'll do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara from Florida Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 My dd had the same problem, but she was actually seeing the lines moving so she was in essence coloring within moving lines. She has a syndrome called Irlen syndrome. She can see the different speed of the different wave lengths of light, so it is almost as though she is looking at things while there is a strobe light effect going on causing the letters and lines on the page to move and wiggle. The web site is www.irlen.com and they have some samples of what some people see if they have this issue. Once we had her tested she tried on numerous colored lenses until she found a triple combination that blocks out the wavelengths she is over sensitive to. The same day she got her filtered lenses her handwriting and coloring within the lines improved. Within 6 weeks after she had a chance to incorporate fine motor skills without the background distortion here penmanship and coloring has improved dramatically. At one point I asked her why she didn't tell me that the lines were moving and she said she thought everyone saw them that way! Hope this helps. If nothing else you may be able to rule it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleB Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Thanks Tara. You know, I actually asked my ds this question yesterday because it hit me that my 9yo ds sees letters and words moving and blurring when he reads (we're currently waiting on evals.). So I thought, *maybe* that is going on with younger ds as well. Younger ds first said, "No" nothing moves, but then he said that actually, some things move around like in an arc kind of (the way he described it to me). So I will watch and ask him again soon. He's only beginning to read, so I haven't had much opportunity to observe that way. He does okay with his math but it's pretty basic stuff in the workbook. But he never has really enjoyed sitting and reading like my other son does (me reading aloud I mean).... Thanks for the ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara from Florida Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Check out that site and they give some moving examples and you can ask him if he ever sees anything like that. It was what sinched it for us with my daughter. Have a good one and keep us posted on what you find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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