OT eval at school for sensory processing issues

[Anonymous]

Principal recommended this for my four year old who has been having hitting/biting problems (like once a week) since starting school at the end of August. Child doesn't really fit the profile in from my cursory research, but I don't mind exploring the possibility. Any reason not to do the evaluation? My main concerns would be stigmatization or labeling too early. Anyone been here before?

[Anonymous]

I say go for it.It's not about labeling, it's getting help early on. My child was a major hitter at 3 and 4. We are very lucky we fixed the problem early on.

[Anonymous]

Do the evaluation since it's free. It's surprising that the principal told you to get an OT evaluation for sensory processing issues since schools usually do not provide OT for it b/c that diagnosis that is not recognized in the DSM. Schools will usually only provide OT for fine motor and handwriting issues.

If they are looking for sensory processing issues, the OT will find sensory processing issues... just about every little kid has them.

You should get our child evaluated by a developmental pediatrician to get a "real" diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Early intervention helps so much when it comes to a lot of physical and behavioral issues. Let your child be evaluated and get help; hitting and biting by a four year old is not typical school behavior!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If they are looking for sensory processing issues, the OT will find sensory processing issues... just about every little kid has them.

Op again. Thanks for the replies. I can completely see how the above statement would be true. The checklist seemed so broad!

Any tips on questions to ask or resources to consult?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early intervention helps so much when it comes to a lot of physical and behavioral issues. Let your child be evaluated and get help; hitting and biting by a four year old is not typical school behavior!

Really? I hear of a hitting incident in one class or another almost every day at our preschool, and I thought the teachers were doing a decent job at keeping behaviors under control. Is that not normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If they are looking for sensory processing issues, the OT will find sensory processing issues... just about every little kid has them.

Op again. Thanks for the replies. I can completely see how the above statement would be true. The checklist seemed so broad!

Any tips on questions to ask or resources to consult?

Instead of just getting an OT evaluation at school. Ask the principal for a psychoeducational evaluation: This test can find other issues like ASD, ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, etc. and the school has to do it for free just like the OT evaluation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Early intervention helps so much when it comes to a lot of physical and behavioral issues. Let your child be evaluated and get help; hitting and biting by a four year old is not typical school behavior!

Really? I hear of a hitting incident in one class or another almost every day at our preschool, and I thought the teachers were doing a decent job at keeping behaviors under control. Is that not normal?

PP here. I've taught at a preschool (not daycare) for a decade, and we sometimes have 3 year olds who hit others early in the school year, but we are usually able to correct the behavior. Hitting often occurs when a child is frustrated and doesn't have the language skills to be able to express themselves. If we feel that this is the case, we recommend an evaluation. It is definitely not a normal thing for 4 year olds at our school to hit others.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, a chronic hitter/biter can be reformed through behavior modification within a relatively short time. What is the school's procedure for when an incident occurs?

A lot of kids without any SNs act out from time to time. Yes, 4 is a little old for this. Regardless, you need to figure out the triggers. Is it the same kinds of things every time, e.g., being territorial over toys for example or do the incidences vary. Is your kid being picked on by another? Is it at the end of the day? Does being tired/hungry make the behavior worse? How is the supervision? My kid was a day care where a lot of this behavior went on b/c the staff were pretty much checked out.

If this behavior is stemming from a chronic issue like anxiety or impulse control, an OT can be useful in helping to manage the excess energies. If your kid has a speech delay, they may be frustrated when they can't express themselves.

If the school is giving you a free evaluation, I'd take it. (But the principal is a moron for suggesting SPD b/c it's not a diagnosis. It's not to say sensory issues don't exist, but so-called diagnoses of SPD are usually masking true diagnoses of autism, ADHD, or learning delays.

I would talk to your pediatrician as well. There are in-depth parent questionnaires (and God help me I should know the names having filled out enough) that can help you pinpoint potential areas of concern. That might help you answer if a full on evaluation by a developmental pediatrician is in order.

[Anonymous]

OP, you may also want to consider a social skills group for your kid. Psychologists and speech therapists often run them. Even if your kid doesn't have a speech delay per se, he needs to be able to communicate without getting physical.

[Anonymous]

If your child does not have a language delay, I would definitely get the OT eval. Language delays can bring about hitting biting out of frustration and inability to communicate, but regular hitting biting behavior should be evaluated. Is he doing these behaviors outside the classroom ie to you, siblings neighbors etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Early intervention helps so much when it comes to a lot of physical and behavioral issues. Let your child be evaluated and get help; hitting and biting by a four year old is not typical school behavior!

Really? I hear of a hitting incident in one class or another almost every day at our preschool, and I thought the teachers were doing a decent job at keeping behaviors under control. Is that not normal?

PP here. I've taught at a preschool (not daycare) for a decade, and we sometimes have 3 year olds who hit others early in the school year, but we are usually able to correct the behavior. Hitting often occurs when a child is frustrated and doesn't have the language skills to be able to express themselves. If we feel that this is the case, we recommend an evaluation. It is definitely not a normal thing for 4 year olds at our school to hit others.

Op here. Can you tell me how you correct the behavior? I should have said almost-4 in my original post since my child is still 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, a chronic hitter/biter can be reformed through behavior modification within a relatively short time. What is the school's procedure for when an incident occurs?

A lot of kids without any SNs act out from time to time. Yes, 4 is a little old for this. Regardless, you need to figure out the triggers. Is it the same kinds of things every time, e.g., being territorial over toys for example or do the incidences vary. Is your kid being picked on by another? Is it at the end of the day? Does being tired/hungry make the behavior worse? How is the supervision? My kid was a day care where a lot of this behavior went on b/c the staff were pretty much checked out.

If this behavior is stemming from a chronic issue like anxiety or impulse control, an OT can be useful in helping to manage the excess energies. If your kid has a speech delay, they may be frustrated when they can't express themselves.

If the school is giving you a free evaluation, I'd take it. (But the principal is a moron for suggesting SPD b/c it's not a diagnosis. It's not to say sensory issues don't exist, but so-called diagnoses of SPD are usually masking true diagnoses of autism, ADHD, or learning delays.

I would talk to your pediatrician as well. There are in-depth parent questionnaires (and God help me I should know the names having filled out enough) that can help you pinpoint potential areas of concern. That might help you answer if a full on evaluation by a developmental pediatrician is in order.

These are good questions. I'm going to ask for more clarification on how the school responds. I believe the child is only removed from the classroom when they are continuously disruptive. I know my child has been sent to the principal several times for being unable to calm down after an outburst.

I don't think it's a picking on or a sharing problem. It seems like random unrelated frustration to the detriment of whomever happens to be close by. This behavior never happened before school started so I'm wondering about the extra stresses school is bringing. It does seem to be worse with hunger or fatigue. The class size is large so that may affect supervision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child does not have a language delay, I would definitely get the OT eval. Language delays can bring about hitting biting out of frustration and inability to communicate, but regular hitting biting behavior should be evaluated. Is he doing these behaviors outside the classroom ie to you, siblings neighbors etc?

Op again. No language delay. But my child is someone who likes adult attention and is much more used to being in smaller groups. She has hit me twice in the past couple weeks when frustrated about not being allowed to do something. I think the school instances were similar. It never happened before school started, but my child had also never been hit before school started.

[Anonymous]

My son hit and bit others in preschool. He had a lot of sensory issues diagnosed by an OT. Fast forward a few years and he has an ADHD diagnosis. Basically, he has always had neurological issues. They came out in preschool due to the overwhelming sensory input there (loud, crowded, semi chaotic at times). At home, he acted a lot differently.