My 4-year-old is bright (reading fluently, exceptionally verbal) but is having some problems with motor skills. There is a pattern from the first (as a baby he barely explored things with his hands - just sat and pointed to ask what a thing was; crawled and walked late; self-fed very late; refused to do jigsaws until last year; still can’t fit duplo together) and now it is coming out in his pencil skills. After a lot of practice he can hold a pencil properly and form letters and numbers so they are sometimes recognisable. He can’t draw at all and has never managed to colour something completely. When asked to colour something he does a few scribbles then zones out until reminded, when he does another few strokes. He’s the same about eating - he’ll eat a bite then zone out until reminded (it’s not a food battle - he can stop any time he likes - he says he’s hungry but somehow he keeps stopping). He can’t catch a ball - his arms just fly wide.
Anyway, his pre-school teacher (when asked) says it might be worth testing to rule out dyspraxia. From my reading he seems to have some elements of it but others not at all (he’s an easy, reasonable kid who has no problem with verbal instructions; he can ride a bike and walk a beam; he is, however, cautious in all physical tasks and his running is ungainly). Is there such a thing as mild dyspraxia? What is dysgraphia?
Many thanks for all input
Laura
Re: 4-year-old and dyspraxia testing?
Thank you - I checked out NLD but I suspect it’s not a fit. He has no problems decoding others’ signals or inter-acting with his peers. His teacher describes him as caring and popular.
I am talking to an OT tomorrow,
Laura
Re: 4-year-old and dyspraxia testing?
Hi Laura,
Please don’t discount NLD too quickly. Your son sounds very much like my own NLD son at that age. Remember that the non-verbal communication of a preschooler is rather rudimentary, and many NT children make mistakes at that age too. It can be very difficult to pick an NLD child out of the crowd at that age.
While pre-school teachers did comment on my son’s poor motor skills, almost all the other feed-back I received about him at that time was very positive. How could it not be with such a bright, verbal, friendly child? Everybody discounted his weaknesses as “developmental”, and thought he’d grow out of them.
Remember that there is a wide range of expression of the group of “problems” found in NLD children. My son is 10, and still very out-going and social. It is in subtle ways that you notice him missing non-verbal communication. In his case, he is probably better than some at picking up on “body language”, but takes spoken language so literally that he often makes mistakes based on his literal interpretation of what is said. He is extremely naive and at risk for teasing because he does not recognize when another child is lying, or stringing him along. He trusts everybody, and still firmly believes in both Santa and the Tooth Fairy.
It is _SO_ common for NLD not to be recognized until a child is floundering in upper elementary school or even later. There are SO many things you can do to help if you can catch NLD kids as young as possible. PLEASE get a full neuropsych eval now. No matter what the final out-come or dx, the therapies and remediation that will help an NLD child will help any child with the same problems.
Karen
Re: 4-year-old and dyspraxia testing?
Laura,
Your description sounds almost exactly like my son at age four, including the early reading. As it turned out, my son has dyspraxia (the offical term is developmental coordination disorder), is gifted, has inattentive ADHD and a written expression LD. He also is dyslexic, in the sense that he reads almost entirely by sight rather than by “sounding out” but despite the dyslexia he reads and comprehends 5 years above grade level. He does not have NLD, although many children with NLD do have coordination problems like those you describe. The suggestion to consult an occupational therapist is sound — we did private OT from age 5 until second grade when he entered public school and they began to provide it. OT does not cure anything but your child can get from it extra support in learning fine and gross motors skills important to school and social life. There is a strong correllation between motor skills disabilities and LD, so that is something to be looking out for. On the other hand, some kids have only the motor problem. My oldest child had difficulty with coordination ( substantially resolved now at age 13) but has no LD or ADHD.
Andrea
Dysgraphia is difficulty with writing, but not necessarily with drawing. I don’t think anyone would diagnose dysgraphia in a 4yo. Many dysgraphics actually excel at drawing. Dysgraphic problems are limited to written verbal expression/organization. What you are describing sounds more like problems with visual-spatial perception.
It would be a good idea to get an evaluation by an occupational therapist. You can probably get this from the school district (be sure to make your request in writing, and describe the problems that lead you to make the request). Try to get an OT who is trained to assess sensory integration. Problems with food are often associated with sensory integration disorder. Although most schools will not provide services for SID, a school OT who has the training will often assess it for you anyway. Or, your medical insurance may cover a private OT eval.
You might also want to get an eval from a developmental optometrist. You can find certified DO’s in your geographic area at http://www.covd.org
Also, check out the information at http://www.nldline.com to see if he fits the profile for non-verbal learning disability. Characteristics of NVLD include advanced verbal skills combined with poor motor coordination and poor visual-spatial perception.
Mary