He gets distracted very easily--for example, I have to tell him repeatedly to do something at home if there is anything else going on that he can see or hear. He has an extremely hard time focusing on things he's not interested in. It takes him much longer to complete homework than it should--even things he's good at like math. When we're at a doctors appointment or something, when the doctor and I have to talk, he has a hard time just reading and not trying to engage with us or saying he's bored. He interrupts constantly, even with repeated instruction to wait to start talking if someone already is.
I know ADHD is misdiagnosed sometimes, and I went back and forth repeatedly in my mind wondering if I should mention it to the doctor. He has taken outside classes of interest to him and not had one bit of trouble.
What you've described does sound like ADHD (not that I'm a professional lol!). I have heard that writing difficulties are common among children with ADHD. The one thing that I'd mention is the time it's taking him to do homework - there might be a piece of that that is due to other challenges - my ds spends a *lot* of time on homework every night - I'd guesstimate at least 2-3 times as much as his classmates, and it's not because he doesn't grasp the concepts quickly - it's the act of getting it down on paper. Math is his big homework time-sink, but he grasps the concepts very quickly, he simply takes a long time to write it down and tends to make copy/etc types of mistakes.
If homework is taking a long time and it's only providing him with opportunities for endless repetition rather than helping introduce new concepts, you can add an accommodation for reduced homework or extended deadlines - my ds' math teacher lets him choose one of each type of problem to do each night and doesn't require him to do more if he doesn't have the time.
The only thing the psych (she actually just tested him at almost 9 years old) mentioned was working memory score. She didn't talk about the NEPSY results at all. She used SB5, NEPSY II, BASC-2 (teacher, parent, and self-report), and VABS II/
Is this psych someone you could call back and ask about her impressions of the low subtest score?
[quote]That's a really large discrepancy in scores - did the psych have an explanation for it? You see discrepancies like this in kids with dysgraphia - have you seen any potential dysgraphic symptoms? Did your ds' NEPSY tests (or other psych tests) include anything called "finger tapping"?
The psych had that report from the OT, but never mentioned it. In the report, the OT noted that the discrepancy could be causing his trouble with writing, but she never said that to me or offered any deeper thoughts on it (I only received this report when I requested it to give to the psych). None of the evaluations he's had done have included finger tapping.
There are three subtests on the NEPSY that test "finger tapping" (and repeating hand signals) - difficulties on this test point to fine motor coordination issues that happen with some kids with dysgraphia. Visual processing challenges can also cause dysgraphia - that's something that should show on the Beery VMI.
I actually have asked the OT and developmental pediatrician about dysgraphia, but they have dismissed it because his handwriting is pretty age-appropriate and he can copy writing just fine.
There are different types of dysgraphia with different manifestations. I'll try to find a link to a site that describes the differences. One type of dysgraphia involves lots of spelling errors, another doesn't. It's also really tough to "see" dysgraphia in the early elementary years because the reversals/spacing challenges/etc that some students have are also seen in typically developing students. He's old enough now though that I'd expect if he had dysgraphia you'd see signs in comparing his handwriting to his classmates.
He had a natural pencil grip as a toddler (starting at around 14 months), but around age 6 or 7 started holding it in his fist. I don't know if this is significant at all. [/quote[
Does he still have an odd pencil grip? That could indicate an issue with handwriting, but it might not mean anything.
[quote]
He actually had an evaluation with a SLP also when he was 7, but she didn't use any formal tests. She diagnosed him with some kind of expressive language disorder based on informal observation, but never gave me any details about this (Again, I actually didn't even know he was technically diagnosed until I got the report to give to the psych recently).
This, combined with his challenges with written expression, suggest (to me) that it's most likely worth trying to pursue a new SLP eval.
He received speech therapy to work on a dysfluency issue that appeared a few years ago where he started adding lots of "mm" and "uh" between his words, as well as conversation skills. She discharged him from that after a few months, saying the disfluency is probably just his brain working faster than his mouth. He still has it, and other doctors and therapists have disagreed with that explanation but can't offer one of their own.
Do you think the mm and uhs are his way of stalling while he tries to think of what to say? Have you paid attention to see if your ds has more trouble with certain types of speech (the type that correlate with open-ended questions etc, similar to where he struggles with writing?).
pbear
