Hi! First of all, thank-you so much for giving of your time to share your expertise. I am a member of this board due to my 2-year old dd having reflux when she was an infant. She has outgrown it now, but still struggles with some food allergies, so I remain a lurker. :oops: However, this time I have a question about my 6-yr. old ds. It is not regarding sensory or feeding issues, so I hope it is within your scope. I am concerned he needs OT, but not sure how to go about getting him evaluated or approved. He has always struggled with fine motor control, and was always "late" with some gross motor milestones (sat up at 7 months, crawled at 10 months, walked at 14.5 months, couldn't jump until almost 3, ect). None of these delays were considered highly late, so all of his pediatricians/parent educators (parents as teachers) said "he is just a late bloomer". But now I am starting to think he needs intervention. Because he only started holding his pencil the "correct way" (vs. the fist grip) at age 4, his writting skills are behind. He just finished kindergarten, but we are retaining him and having him do it again next year. He is only now writting his letters somewhat legibly (although doesn't do them in the correct technique), and his number formation are hit and miss. His bigger issues are with coordination and gross motor stuff. Here are his behaviors: still can't skip, can't tie his shoes, throws a baseball with a side-sling technique despite working on overhand throws in baseball practice, and in general struggles anytime an activity requires coordination between his hands/legs or hands/brain etc. :sad5: A classic Evan behavior demonstrating deep concentration is cutting. Whenever he cuts something with scissors, he grips the scissors so hard his hand is left with marks, and he usually tears the paper. He also moves his mouth in sync with the cutting (something I have heard is demonstrative of coordination issues, and he used to do this when he was little and would try to wave bye-bye). Anyway, what are your thougths? Just a typical boy that is a "late bloomer", or should we get him evaluated? And if so, who do I call? Thanks so much!!

Hi Donna:

Your concerns about Evan are worth looking into. Although his delays appear minimal, it might be a good idea to get Evan assessed. To qualify for occupational therapy in the school system, Evan's needs have to be "educational" in nature. In other words, they will not take the fact that he cannot tie his shoes into consideration. However, you have mentioned other fine, gross, and possibly visual-motor skills that may need addressing. It is often very difficult to qualify for OT services through the school system these days, but I would recommend starting there. You can call the special education department of your school district about getting an OT assessment. Perhaps Evan's kindergarten teacher can back you up with a referral? If you do not feel you will get the support you need from the school system, you can always have Evan's pediatrician write a prescription for "OT evaluation and treat." He or she will need to write a diagnosis on the prescription for insurance purposes. You can ask your pediatrician if they have referred to a specific OT in your area for fine/gross motor delays. It may be that Evan does not need occupational therapy at all. But, go with your "Mama Instincts" and have him assessed. If he truly has delays, early intervention is the key :party0049:.

Robynne

Robynne,
Thanks so much. You confirmed my gut feelings.:sad5: I have called the special ed. department at our district, and they actually have a coordinator who deals only with motor control issues. :-) Unfortunatly, she is out for the summer, and the secretary put me to her voicemail :hairpull:. She said she sometimes checks it, so hopefully she will call me back. The secretary said that they likely won't test him this summer, but can in the fall if the coordinator feels he needs it. I don't mind waiting a few more months. I think his issues are academic, a.e.b. the slow writting skills etc. Hopefully I can make a case. I am pretty sure his teacher would back me up, because she was the one who originally suggested retention. An interesting note to all of this: when I told my mom what I was doing and my concerns she said "well, your brother was diagnosed with something called dyspraxia when he was in elementary school because of his coordination issues". I had no idea!:oops: So, I am off to research "dyspraxia" and see what I can find!

Thanks so much for your response! :hug:
Donna.

You are very welcome! I am so glad your mom brought the dyspraxia up. Motor planning issues can be common.

Robynne