Should I Have My Daughter Tested?

If the physical act of writing is the problem -- she knows all the letters, understands how to form them, etc. but the physical act is a big effort for her -- she may need evaluation by an occupational therapist who specializes in working with kids. Some kids are very bright but have issue with the physical coordination that writing requires. It's hard to tell from the post if her issue is the actual act of writing, or the ability to put the content on paper and make sensible sentences, etc. That is an important difference; talk in detail to the teacher about which side of the problem it really is. And yes, get a referral to have her evaluated. An occupational therapist may be able to give her great help.

There are many kinds of learning disabilities and many of the most intelligent people have them. It just means that her brain works a little differently than the average. She may have to learn new ways to understand the material or use aides in order to see the material correctly (many dylexics use a colored filter to keeps the words on the page) Most schools these days have a better approach to the issue and should either help or point you in the direction to find help.

Hi DancerMom,

Odd question...... when you watch her write, does she have trouble with her 'hands' or her 'head'? For example is it that she can't physically write the letters or is it that her brain doesn't seem to process what's in her head to get it on the paper in a coherent order that represents what she's thinking?

There are a couple different types of learning disabilities. Some have to do with motor skills and would be good for her to work with an occupational therapist - as a couple mamas suggested. But the other would require her to teach her brain how to process information differently.

You won't know it's a real issue unless you get her tested. But the up-side to getting her tested.... is that then you know where and how to start working with her to make her feel confident and be successful.

My daughter (who was in a gifted program) almost flunked 2nd grade. As it turns out, she was diagnosed with an output processing disorder. The school has done a WONDERFUL job working with her to develop strategies to enable her to process her thoughts in a way that enable her to put them in writing. In fact, at the end of last year (5th grade) they have all but eliminated her IEP because she has figured out strategies to successfully complete her assignments and learn the material.

As far as testing..... there are 3 options:

*If she's in a public school - the school will test her and it will be free, but will be a lengthy process.
*If she's in a private school it's a bit trickier for a couple reasons - most notably the private schools aren't legally required to provide services (and consequently most private school teachers aren't specialized in that area) and they probably won't do any testing. However, I believe that with a referral from the private school's counselor you can have your daughter tested at your local neighborhood school (regardless of the school she attends).
*You can also choose to have her tested privately - you can start with her physician or call a local university that has a special education specialty in their elementary education program and they can provide you with a list of facilities.

It can be kind of overwhelming. Depending on your insurance, they may pay for some of the testing if you do it privately, or if you get a referral from her physician and the school.

The counselor at your school (or within your district) should be able to point you in the right direction!

Good Luck.

One of our daughters friend really struggled with her handwriting. This is an extremely intelligent young woman.

Her mother and Grandmother were teachers and realized she could type a lot faster and with a lot less stress. She was able to have an IEP that allowed her more time for "writing" assignments and special therapy. This IEP was in her folder all through her Senior year. She only needed it a few times. Thank goodness even in 5th grade they started turning in some of their homework online.

I do not see a problem with having her tested.. all it is going to do is let you know if she needs some therapy (don't you want to know?) or does she just need a lot more practice.

It must be frustrating to be so bright and have the knowledge, but not the skill to put it down on paper.

The longer you hold off, the more you are putting off, knowing the answer.

Have her tested. If she does have a learning disability the earlier detected the earlier intervention is started resulting in a better outcome. Write a written letter to the school requesting that they perform comprehensive testing on your daughter. Include the reasons for your request. Ask the teacher specifically what her concerns are and include them in the letter.

FYI: Teachers generally do not suggest kids get tested unless they have genuine concerns. The testing cost the school money and they do not want to do unecessary testing. Also, if the test comes back that she has a learning disability the school will have to pay for appropriate intervention, again costing them more money - so they are not going to suggest a learning disability unless they really see signs.

Go and speak with the teacher and ask for specific examples on why she thinks she should be tested. Then get a referral from the school to have her tested--it can only help her. GL

m

Your daughter is a little young for second grade (we don't start second here until they are already 7). I remember being the youngest in school and I was 6 in second grade, it really did take me until 3rd or 4th grade to catch up on the writing and math to my peers and to grade level. So she may be performing at the right ability for her age, but not necessarily for her grade. We don't have grades in second grade, just stars, check pluses, checks, and minuses so far. Did the teacher point out what the problem was--i.e. handwriting, spelling, sentence structure, or give you any indication what learning disability she was looking at? Your school seems a little strict to me, but you may want to check with your pediatrician and see what she thinks.

Ask the teacher and your ped.

If she comes back with learning disabilities she M. get extended time on the sat and act later on.

She is a very young second grader. And, second grade is pretty tough, if I remember correctly. She may just be having trouble adjusting. I would work with her writing, but I would seriously hesitate to have her tested for learning disabilities. I think teachers often come to this conclusion when they have a student that might take more of their time than the "average" student. It has become epidemic, in my opinion.

What do you mean by writing?
Writing compositions or simply writing letters?

Speak to the Teacher further and ask her... how or what the process is, for getting her help via the school.
See what she thinks.
Speak to your Pediatrician.

My daughter had a classmate that could not write. This was 3rd grade. His writing looked like a Kindergartener or worse.
The Teacher noticed. Spoke to the parents. He got, from the school special ed classes for writing. It helped him.

Then I know another kid, that struggled with a similar thing.
The parents later learned, he is Dyslexic.

What's the harm in getting her tested? How can you effectively help her without knowing if that is part of the problem? The teacher should be able to provide you with information on where to get the testing. Good luck!

I would ask for more information on where she is having difficulties in her writing? Did she have a problem in Kindergarten or first grade? It can't hurt her to have her tested either. I don't believe her teachers would treat her any differently.

I am not sure what the answer should be, but I would like to add just a wee bit to this....
If you do have her tested, or you take her to the doctor, and it doesn't look like she has a disability, do what you feel is right, when it comes to the school.
This is horrible, but my own son has some speech difficulties, although he is not delayed in learning. When he was in Christian school, we didn't have a speech therapist, but I could possibly take him to the public school to have speech therapy.
I called the school to learn about it, and the lady on the other end said that if he were a student at that school, "We would just put him in special ed."
They did not know my child at all, but would put him in special education because he has difficulty with a few letters.
I told MY school's principal this, and she had heard of this type of thing. She said that they will take the parents and put them in a room with several professionals and INTIMIDATE them into putting their child in special education, even if the parents did not want to do it.
This particular school is known for this such thing because they get a large sum of money for each child in special education.
I just wanted to share this because this scenario could happen to others.
BTW, I never called the school back. I was LIVID about it.
Instead, I took my son to the hospital to meet with a speech therapist once a week, who never suggested his problems went beyond speech.

You could start by asking the school to test her. Then they could recommend help such as occupational therapy, extra time to complete work, shorter assignments, learning to type, or extra tutoring for writing. You could also have private testing done through a specialist such as a neurologist, psychologist, or developmental pediatrician. Some handwriting problems can be dysgraphia(fine motor problems, physical pain from writing, overload of trying to write and think at the same time) or disorder of written expression(trouble organizing thoughts to write.)
I've gotten a lot of advice online from groups.yahoo.com/group/dysgraphia

I would work with her for a while before having her tested. As a child that was tested at 5, I can say this: it does effect your self-esteem, no matter what anyone else says. In fact, I have a Ph.D from a research one university, ranked second in my field, and I still have self-esteem issues. In fact, I doubt I would have went to school for so long, and wasted so much time and money, if it wasn't for my stupid LD labels as a child. Sure it got me extra help, but my question is if any of it is actually meaningful for 90% of the cases. There is a lot of debate about this. If you give kids the time and space, they grow and get where they need to go. Not on some silly schedule, but when they are ready.....

I would have her vision tested first.

What harm could it do to have an evaluation done for all areas. The worst that could happen is that you would spend some money and they say she is just lazy...lol. The other outcome could be that they find some issue that with specific work she could learn to over come it....how could having it done hurt anything. Then if the teacher or anyone every says anything again you have a paper stating she has been tested and is fine.

the only problem with having her tested for learning difficulties, is that it means that every teacher she will EVER have will look at that phase and suddenly decide that your child is "slow". and once that label is attached to your child you will probably have to go to court to have it removed from her school record, and even then its no gurantee that the teachers and school administrators wont decide to tear her "different" from her peers. so, instead, try to spend a little extra time with her every day to work on her writing, kids theses days dont really learn hand writing, everything is done on a computer screen,so they get very little actual hands on practice in school, but of course, the teacher isnt going to bother to tell you that.
K. h.