never mind re the subtest score of 17, s.d. 3. It is not at the ceiling.

thanks

willagayle -
So, have you started looking at private schools? I encourage you to start looking, even if the money part is impossible, even though it's summer, because I don't know if your school district will be able to pull it together to really meet his needs, and you never know when your sweet boy will start being openly defiant due to not being understood in the classroom. Private schools that "get" highly gifted kids take them midyear, so I reccommend doing some of the legwork now so that you know what your resources are before the storm hits.

One more idea - I get medical insurance through my work, and they offer several different plans. I was able to switch plans to "refresh" my son's OT benifits. Will that work for you?

Lots of Love -Trinity

I'm in the midst of checking out schools.

The insurance idea is a good possibility. The only problem is we have the best policy available for my own medical issues.

Hi,

I am worried that my 10 year old ds could have dysgraphia. He has always disliked handwriting and when he writes too long he complains that his hands hurt. I basically let him type everything(homeschooled) but I am afraid that is a mistake. He is working 4+ grade levels above and doing well other than the handwriting. Any advice on how to get him evaluated?

Cathy

Cathy - Please don't worry about letting him type everything - I think that it's a very reasonable way to approach the asynchrony involved with 4+ level work. If you "really" want to work on handwriting "Handwriting without tears" for example, make it "in addition" to his other work, not as any variety of gatekeeper.

You can try an OT to evaluate handwriting, but I'm not enthusiastic about what level of advice you'll get. Other ideas are: calligraphy, drawing class, handwriting improvement books from the library, handwriting analysis books for a "top-down" approach.

Willa - I'm sorry to hear about your own medical issues - oh well!


Best Wishes,
Trinity

Thanks Trinity:) I actually had a plan this summer to do some *extra* work in handwriting but ds has been so busy with other activities it hasn't worked out,hopefully after our vacation next week we can get into some routine.

Handwriting has always been a issue with ds because of the asynchrony since he was 2 yrs old and doing KG workbooks,I have always felt that letting him move forward without worrying about the handwriting part was best but, I do question myself sometimes.

Cathy

One thing I suggest, if you have your child in public school and are seeking special ed intervention due to the handwriting asynchrony, take him/her to a neurologist and get a "dyspraxia" diagnosis with the "dysgraphia" diagnosis. Dyspraxia is recognized in the "other health disorder" category of special education, while most states do not recognized dysgraphia.

It made a world of difference for The Mite and qualified him for special ed intervention.

We've noticed the asynchrony (didn't know that's what it was) when he was small. He was way late on the pincer grasp (like nearly 3), didn't climb steps until he was nearly 4 (well crawled them but didn't do the upright way you are supposed to), didn't ride a bike until 7 (took the pedals off until he learned balance and also used a burley trailor bike to get him to balance then he finally got it) didn't tie his shoes until 7, still has problems with ****ons and buckles, etc.

I'll have to post The Mite's whole story...birth to now....and get the groups take on it. It is quite interesting.

My son is nine, and is getting tested when school starts for Special ed, for his Asperger's Syndrome. He gets OT for his dyspraxia/dysgraphia. I also wanted to recomend seeing a neurologist for this. Ours found that my son has mild cerebral palsy, which was a huge shock to us.

I've always wondered about mild cerebral palsy in Mite. He holds his hands in unusual ways that are similar to what i've seen in kids with cp.

Right now I feel as if we'll never really know what is going on with Mite.

I'm feeling very discouraged after all the wrong turns this summer.

Hi Willa Gayle,
I'm looking forward to hearing Mite's story. DS10 didn't ride a two wheeler till age 9, and tied his shoes around age 7. LOL - I'm actually not sure that he can do it now, since he ties them once in a great while and then slips them on and off!

I went back and read your June 13 post, and I'm seeing that things have come a long way in a very short period of time. It sounds like the 3rd grade with the gifted cluster and the assistive tech. will be a good balance of gaps and success.
By next year he may be ready for a(nother) skip.

There isn't any place where the right answer is written. I think taking a "titration" approach is the only way. I just wish I could calm down and follow my own advice - LOL!

Love -
Trinity