I think because he does so very well in most of what he does it kind of masks the weaker points as far as classroom performance. The handwriting thing has always been an issue.We saw an OT for about 6 months before insurance cut us off saying it was a chronic problem related to prematurity...
I think I may need to just save up and have him tested privately.
I see so much potential and I want to help him anyway I can. Its so hard to explain to the school that he may have a disability when his grades are good. I guess they have there hands full with those that arent passing.
Thanks again everyone for your suggestions.
If you request an evaluation, in writing, to assess your child for a disability regarding handwriting, motor coordination, and visual processing, the school has to evaluate. Provide them with any records you have from the private OT that support the idea that he has problems in these areas. Preemies often have cerebellar issues that can affect both visual processing and motor planning and coordination, which will affect handwriting and also the ability to do well on visually-based reasoning assessments (and even worse on those that combine visual processing with motor output.) An IQ test is usually part of such an evaluation, and given that you are asking them to assess a possible visual processing deficit, they would have to use a test, or at least a section of a test, that did not rely on his visual system for that portion of the evaluation.
If your child has challenges with handwriting that are due to his prematurity, you really may want to get an IEP or at least a 504 plan in place early, so that he can get support, accommodations, and perhaps services
before the demands of the classroom increase to the point that he can't keep up and it starts to affect his self-esteem, and you want him to have access to the gifted program ASAP so he isn't under-challenged and bored while simultaneously being frustrated with his inability to write like his peers.
BT,DT...
