So my kid is the lowest performing kid in his 2nd grade class.

[Anonymous]

A few years ago my son was having a similar problem. The teacher did not know if it wS purely mechanical or of he had a hard time getting his ideas on paper. He worked with Todd Misura who is an hand writing specialist/OT/teacher. After about 2 months it was clear that it was a mechanical issue and not a larger problem of getting his ideas on pAper. I would highly recommend him.

[Anonymous]

Second grade is when my son's issues became noticable. He's very, very smart but started to have this large backlog of unfinished work, all of which involved writing. Also, he'd always had bad handwriting, but when I compared his to his peers ... a remarkable difference.

We had him tested and it turns out he has a motor/visual problem that is or is similar to dysgraphia. Handwriting without tears helped with actual handwriting, but he just freezes when he has to turn his thoughts into written word - even through typing. It's fine if he dictates, but somehow everything stalls when he tries to get it on paper. It's more than just motor issues.

I'm planning to post in the not to distant future about OT.

But seriously, have your child tested by a psychologist; it the detail and targeting of the results is really impressive.

[Anonymous]

This was my son. And it wAs missed by OT evals.
He had the full neuro psych eval after yrs of us just knowing something was not right. He has a very slow processing speed and dysgraphia. It's not just a muscular issue. There's a disconnect/delay in Getting thoughts onto paper. Look into thAt and decide if it's worth doing the evaluation.
We started reaching him keyboarding after that. Knowing that will be a very important skill for him.

[Anonymous]

I have to just ask this here and not on the special needs board.

I don't want to delay any testing but sometimes I think testing with these type of doctors, neurologists, OT's etc... will ALWAYS bring up something. Am I wrong to think everyone needs a label these days. Has anyone ever gone and heard "nope, your child is perfectly fine, just encourage more hand writing."

[Anonymous]

In the public school world, identifying a learning difference can be a stigma and some say it is often used by schools to shunt lower-income children aside and excuse away ineffective teaching. In some places like the District, getting a diagnosis and IEP is a way to have DCPS pay for private school education (Lab School) for those who have the financial and/or social capital to tap into the ed law bar.

In private school, you'll find parents more open to a learning difference diagnosis and less concerned about stigmatization. Cynics argue that wealthier parents will push for a diagnosis when their child is not at the head of the class (not my fault, he's got a disability) and demand accommodations to help junior get better grades.

Dysgraphia is an example of a increasingly frequent diagnosis that some experts think is overly vague and overused. In the DSM, it is described as a learning disability of written expression when one’s writing skills are below those expected given a person’s age measured through intelligence and age appropriate education. Sometimes it is poor motor skills and other times it is cognitive. Symptoms of dysgraphia may be indistinguishable from children who perform poorly in language arts - bad spelling, poor organization, incorrect grammar, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the public school world, identifying a learning difference can be a stigma and some say it is often used by schools to shunt lower-income children aside and excuse away ineffective teaching. In some places like the District, getting a diagnosis and IEP is a way to have DCPS pay for private school education (Lab School) for those who have the financial and/or social capital to tap into the ed law bar.

In private school, you'll find parents more open to a learning difference diagnosis and less concerned about stigmatization. Cynics argue that wealthier parents will push for a diagnosis when their child is not at the head of the class (not my fault, he's got a disability) and demand accommodations to help junior get better grades.

Dysgraphia is an example of a increasingly frequent diagnosis that some experts think is overly vague and overused. In the DSM, it is described as a learning disability of written expression when one’s writing skills are below those expected given a person’s age measured through intelligence and age appropriate education. Sometimes it is poor motor skills and other times it is cognitive. Symptoms of dysgraphia may be indistinguishable from children who perform poorly in language arts - bad spelling, poor organization, incorrect grammar, etc.

My experience has been exactly the opposite of this. Private school parents and teachers had heavy stigma issues around my child's LD diagnosis. The private school teachers had no idea how to accommodate him and had no idea how to implement the accomodations that were recommended by his psychologist. The private school refused to ask for assistance from our psychologist in creating an education plan for my child, even though I was willing to pay all of the costs of having the psychologist come in to consult with them. They couldn't be bothered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the public school world, identifying a learning difference can be a stigma and some say it is often used by schools to shunt lower-income children aside and excuse away ineffective teaching. In some places like the District, getting a diagnosis and IEP is a way to have DCPS pay for private school education (Lab School) for those who have the financial and/or social capital to tap into the ed law bar.

In private school, you'll find parents more open to a learning difference diagnosis and less concerned about stigmatization. Cynics argue that wealthier parents will push for a diagnosis when their child is not at the head of the class (not my fault, he's got a disability) and demand accommodations to help junior get better grades.

Dysgraphia is an example of a increasingly frequent diagnosis that some experts think is overly vague and overused. In the DSM, it is described as a learning disability of written expression when one’s writing skills are below those expected given a person’s age measured through intelligence and age appropriate education. Sometimes it is poor motor skills and other times it is cognitive. Symptoms of dysgraphia may be indistinguishable from children who perform poorly in language arts - bad spelling, poor organization, incorrect grammar, etc.

My experience has been exactly the opposite of this. Private school parents and teachers had heavy stigma issues around my child's LD diagnosis. The private school teachers had no idea how to accommodate him and had no idea how to implement the accomodations that were recommended by his psychologist. The private school refused to ask for assistance from our psychologist in creating an education plan for my child, even though I was willing to pay all of the costs of having the psychologist come in to consult with them. They couldn't be bothered.

Ditto. I know a number of private school parents who won't seek a diagnosis because of concerns about stigma, despite their child's obvious difficulties.

[Anonymous]

Going by the number of kids getting accommodations at my child's private school, I think 1/8 of her class has a "diagnosis" of some kind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going by the number of kids getting accommodations at my child's private school, I think 1/8 of her class has a "diagnosis" of some kind.

They might not have a formal diagnosis. I posted about private school parents who avoid diagnosis due to perceived stigma. Some private schools may accommodate without a diagnosis, whereas public schools cannot. That greater flexibility is part of what parents value in private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going by the number of kids getting accommodations at my child's private school, I think 1/8 of her class has a "diagnosis" of some kind.

I should add to my previous post that nationally, 5% of kids have been formally identified with an LD, and the CDC says about 10% of kids have been diagnosed with ADHD. So the percentage of kids receiving accommodations in your child's classrooms is well below those percentages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going by the number of kids getting accommodations at my child's private school, I think 1/8 of her class has a "diagnosis" of some kind.

I should add to my previous post that nationally, 5% of kids have been formally identified with an LD, and the CDC says about 10% of kids have been diagnosed with ADHD. So the percentage of kids receiving accommodations in your child's classrooms is well below those percentages.

So you are saying 15% of the child population has a diagnosis of some kind?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going by the number of kids getting accommodations at my child's private school, I think 1/8 of her class has a "diagnosis" of some kind.

I should add to my previous post that nationally, 5% of kids have been formally identified with an LD, and the CDC says about 10% of kids have been diagnosed with ADHD. So the percentage of kids receiving accommodations in your child's classrooms is well below those percentages.

So you are saying 15% of the child population has a diagnosis of some kind?

It depends on who's reporting the numbers and whether the numbers are population-based estimates or actual counts based on public-school services provided under IDEA (which don't include kids in private schools and public-school kids with Section 504 plans). Because comorbidity is common, and kids can't be counted twice under IDEA, the actual percentage is probably a bit higher. One commonly accepted estimate is that 1 in 5 kids has a learning difference of some kind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to just ask this here and not on the special needs board.

I don't want to delay any testing but sometimes I think testing with these type of doctors, neurologists, OT's etc... will ALWAYS bring up something. Am I wrong to think everyone needs a label these days. Has anyone ever gone and heard "nope, your child is perfectly fine, just encourage more hand writing."

I don't think it's a binary thing: "fine" or "not fine." It's more like, "when a person has trouble with these specific skills, it's because of X or Y or Z, and here's what's going on in this case."