8 year old & handwriting problems

[SmallWorld71]

as I understand it; a parent has the right to request an OT eval through the school. And a child does not need a LD for a 504 plan. A child can have dysgraphia w/o a LD.

Check if your insurance covers OT, though; because it would probably still benefit him. A private OT eval will give you a much more complete idea of his fine motor issues.

Has your child been evaluated by an OT? If not, then this is the place to start. You can request an evaluation from the school. I would do it in writing to document. They legally can not refuse. The results will be shared via a team meeting of which you will be part of. If you are more comfortable with an outside eval. you can do that and then send that to school and a team meeting will be held. If an OT eval is done and there are no problems, then you will have to pursue other avenues. However, if there are problems your child may qualify for OT services via a 504 plan. If you want specifics, I know that the folks over on the disABILITIES board are experts on where to get info. about your rights as a parent, 504 plans, and IEP's. You may want to post your question there as well.

 

[marasmallworldfan]

I am an OT in an inner city hospital. I see a number of kids who are "refused" by the school based therapist. Private therapy services is a great way to start to ensure the problem is only fine motor. A vision screen may also be helpful.

A good seasoned therapist will be able to see him a couple of times and set up a good home program, that your child will have fun doing.

My advice is not to wait for the school, talk with your doctor and get an OTscript for an outpatient eval.

With the right treatment it will get better.

 

[mrsmom]

My son is now in 7th grade has dysgraphia and it took us 5 yrs to get him tested ,school refused and i took him to myself . he went from having all d's first quarter to straight A's in the rest of the year, the teachers write his assignment and let him using the computer to do his work. he is a vey smart kid and a much happier one now that we know what the problem is, he has a 504 plan just for use of the computers and the teachers writing his assignments down in his plan book.
Have him tested by school or by a childrens hospital ot.
Kim

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I am an OT in an inner city hospital. I see a number of kids who are "refused" by the school based therapist. Private therapy services is a great way to start to ensure the problem is only fine motor. A vision screen may also be helpful.

A good seasoned therapist will be able to see him a couple of times and set up a good home program, that your child will have fun doing.

My advice is not to wait for the school, talk with your doctor and get an OTscript for an outpatient eval.

With the right treatment it will get better.

Thanks for your input as well.

I did forget to mention that it's not his vision, although that may have created the problem at first because we learned at his kindergarten screening that he had vision problems and he's been wearing glasses since then.

 

[Stephres]

I have a seven year old with poor handwriting as well. I was concerned in first grade, when I saw everyone in her class get better and neater and my daughter's stayed the same. The OT evaluated her and told me she did have some fine motor skills but because she was not performing under grade level she could not be treated through the school. I bought the Handwriting Without Tears and she gave me a pencil grip and we tried working with her at home.

This year in second grade the discrepancy between her handwriting and the rest of the class is even more noticeable. She brings home "N" on all her writing assignments (needs improvement) and her teacher asks her to rewrite them at home. Sometimes they are better, sometimes not. I went back to the OT and asked her for more pointers. She said to practice vertically, and get rid of the paper. She told me to have her trace her letters in the air, write on a chalkboard and then trace over with a wet sponge (something she liked a lot) and draw letters on my back. I am going to try this and then take her in for OT if there is no improvement. I went to the principal and he is sympathetic but he said even if she fails writing she will never receive help from the school. She just doesn't qualify. She is like your son, very bright and her writing content has always been very high, you just can't read it.

Try the suggestions pp gave but if you don't see any improvement consider private OT. For some reason it's just not something schools care about.

 

[ntink]

We had the same issue with DD. She was able to receive OT in school and it really helped her. Her OT spent a lot of time with her on learning cursive which improved her printing and her handwriting speed.

Another thing that one of her teachers suggested was to use a small hand-held voice recorder to record long writing assignments. Then I would have her sit with me while I typed it.

 

[The Moonk's Mom]

Oddly...I was just haveing this same discussion just a week ago with the Disboutiquers (we talk about a lot of things over there!)

I also talked to one of my friends who teaches Kinders. She made several suggestions to me. The HWT program was also one of those.

She also said I could get hard molding clay, press it down into the bottom of a plate and have him write his letters with a short pencil, then use his thumb to "erase" the letter. She also said to get silly putty and do the hiding a penny in it.


I spend some time every night working with him...and I see him being a little more into trying. He was a little frustrated with trying at first. (He is a very smart kid...so part of his problem is also being bored with the whole coloring/writing thing)

Good luck!

 

[Stephres]

Oddly...I was just haveing this same discussion just a week ago with the Disboutiquers (we talk about a lot of things over there!)

I also talked to one of my friends who teaches Kinders. She made several suggestions to me. The HWT program was also one of those.

She also said I could get hard molding clay, press it down into the bottom of a plate and have him write his letters with a short pencil, then use his thumb to "erase" the letter. She also said to get silly putty and do the hiding a penny in it.


I spend some time every night working with him...and I see him being a little more into trying. He was a little frustrated with trying at first. (He is a very smart kid...so part of his problem is also being bored with the whole coloring/writing thing)

Good luck!

Yes we do have some disboutiquer kids with handwriting issues, don't we? We also have a disboutiquer OT who is very helpful with the suggestions. I'll ask her to stop by because she helped us out a lot!

 

[billwendy]

Hi!!

I am a pediatric OT at a childrens hospital. I totally feel for you!! It so frustrating for both you and your child!

I have to agree - while school OT's are wonderful and do what they can, they may have certain restrictions. So, I would go ahead and find a local clinic or children's hospital and set up an OT evaluation. Please make sure its a pediatric OT or someone who works with children on a regular basis. At the least, it would help you rule out if its an OT issue or not. You also mentioned "fidgeting" which you should mention to the OT as well. It could definately be a strength/coordination issue, or a dysgraphia or an attention issue - so many factors!!

You also mentioned that his vision is OK. Are we talking his acuity? There is so much more to vision than that. Can he focus both eyes together (binocular vision), can he move his eyes quickly to targets (pursuits) and so much more. Sometimes the typical eye doctor does not look at these things. You may want to consider a developmental optometrist to check these things out for you.

If you have any questions, Please dont hesitate to ask!!
Wendy

 

[jscott27]

We figured our out DS5 has some sensory issues, which included poor fine motor skills for his age earlier this year. I would definitely do an eval w/ a private OT if your child has issues like this, but I would also advise that you first go to see your pediatrician. I know that for us to go to the OT through our insurance it was necessary to get a referral from our son's pediatrician.

Good luck.

 

[goofy53073]

Not sure what state you live in? I would fight for an OT evaluation. A learning disability should not have to be present to recieve OT for poor fine motor skills. If your school district refuse I would see about having a private OT eval. There are some that specialize in Handwriting problems. Good Luck!

Stacey