4 year old learning issues where do I go?

Hi I have a 4 year old son who has been in preschool since two this year being more formal getting them ready for kindergarden  they are actually writing and such, and every other kid in his class can write thier name but Jake is saying he cant do it and when he does write a J he writes it backwards??? All the other kids are drawing faces with eyes and noses and mouths and jake just scribbles? I am kind of frusterated I work with him and he never not once wants to do any of this, he is a good kid and very smart he was a late talker but early with everything else. He says he cant do it or he always does things wrong. I feel bad I dont know what to do for him could it be a learning issue or a self confidence issue I bought spiderman books for him to work in thought that would help and offered special treats if he would work with me and even then he wants no part of it. teacher says hes doing fine that they dont focus on it that much but when everyother of the 31 kids are wrting their name I just dont get it. any ideas?

[Cleveland Mom]

Not all children develop at the same pace as you have likely noted.  The norm is for kids to be a bit advanced in some areas, average in others and a bit behind in another i.e. advanced gross motor skills average language skills, fine motor skills a bit behind and social/emotional development average.  There are many configurations, again as you can imagine.  Handwriting is a complex skill and there are many 4 year olds who are not able to write their names or draw well.  That said, he may be a bit delayed in the area of fine motor skills.  It would be wise to have him evaluated by an Occupational Therapist, a specialist who can evaluate his fine motor skills and provide treatment, if appropriate.  You can contact your local public school district about an evaluation or talk to your pediatrician/family physician for a referral.  In the mean time there are many things that you can do to help him develop fine motor skills.  You can encourage him to color with crayons, cut with scissors, make crafts that involve the use of glue, paint and scissors. You can have him string beads and use play dough-type materials.  All of these activites help to strengthen his hands and build fine motor skills.  Best wishes...