fine motor skills ( or lack of)

Posted By Rhonda on March 26, 1999 at 23:11:30:







My son is 6 years old. We are having problems with him in school.
Although he tested ok for the entrance exams, for kindergarden, his
teacher now feels he may be ADD or developmentally delayed.
He has very poor fine motor skills. He can barely write his name,
and then some of his letters are backwards. He can barely write a few
of the numbers 1 - 20. He can not pronounce some of the letter sounds,
for example- his L sounds like a W.
  I had never noticed him having a problem developing as an infant.
Except with his balance, coordination. He walked on time, but was always falling.
He had chronic ear infections, until he was 5. We had tubes put in and they
helped, but he still gets the infections. Even washing his hair will give him
an ear infection overnight it seems. His balance is still poor. He can hardly
walk across a room without tripping,( I dont know on what).Until this fall, when he ran
he outstretched his hands at his sides to balance himself. He was late at mastering bike
riding. He was about 4 when he finally figured out his tricycle. Before he just never had the
leg strenth ( it seems).
  Also he has a very poor apetite.The doctor said he would eat when he was hungry,
but instead, he would go to bed with his tummy growling, and still not eat.
He is a very finicky eater now. I have always limited his junk food and sugar intake.
There are days that he does not eat his lunch at school.
  We have been to see a child psychiatrist who has referred us to a child
neurology program in a nearby city. Our appointment is not until May 30, tho.
I was just wondering if this sounds like ADD, or ADHD? or could it be a
neurological imbalance of some kind, and what are the standard
tests given to children, and how can you tell if the child is developmentally
delayed or ADD?
  Thank you in advance, and thanks for this great site!!
Rhonda