NFT: Does my 4 year old need to see an OT?

let a professional evaluate him.

At worst you wasted a bit of time and money. At best you've helped your son significantly.

I can't give you an answer based on your post, but I can tell you my wife is a PT (not OT) but what she would do is combined with our own observations, our pediatricians recommendations and examinations about our child's development and our pre-school teachers assessment we'd come up with a plan.

Our town has a great program called early intervention and they get PT, OT, and speech therapists involved with the kids during school time for a while, in-class, without stigma, maybe yours does too.

in addition to the town/school sponsored program we'd probably get an independent referral/eval from a private OT based on satisfaction with the progress, etc.

on the Giants before he grows up.

shouldn't alarm you being he's four. Pediatrician should be giving you answers or an opinion rather than a pre-k teacher IMO.

One exercise to so in the meantime is picking up pennies and putting them into a can. This movement encourages a tripod grasp

I don't even have to ask her I know she'd say to get an eval. Good luck.

In comment 13335407 MOOPS said:

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on the Giants before he grows up.

heh first thought as well.

Good luck Spike, I can't help on your post but cosign seeing a doctor.

I would see a pediatrician who specializes in development.They have much more training than an OT and are more likely to look for an underlying problem that may be correctable

Obviously I can't make a diagnosis online. Based on your information the advice to have him evaluated is good advice. Discuss it with the pediatrician, but realize you should go with your instincts, and respect the teacher's input as she experiences other children. From the sounds of it he seems fine but could probably benefit from OT. Not sure what state you live in, but keep in mind if you are n NY state they have an excellent EI/pre-school intervention system and very likely you'd have the services covered if he qualifies.

In comment 13335449 Stu11 said:

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Obviously I can't make a diagnosis online. Based on your information the advice to have him evaluated is good advice. Discuss it with the pediatrician, but realize you should go with your instincts, and respect the teacher's input as she experiences other children. From the sounds of it he seems fine but could probably benefit from OT. Not sure what state you live in, but keep in mind if you are n NY state they have an excellent EI/pre-school intervention system and very likely you'd have the services covered if he qualifies.

Thanks Stu.. We live in Westchester so we should be well covered. Just have to file some paperwork.

In comment 13335421 tangled up in blue said:

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One exercise to so in the meantime is picking up pennies and putting them into a can. This movement encourages a tripod grasp

thanks and good advice!

also 4 got evaluated and he has to get some OT. Not on the spectrum, but has some ADD and ODD. Have to take him to behavioral therapy for that too. Anyone ever use poker chips as "rewards" that can be earned and eventually paid off? One of the books we're reading says to do that.

I strongly encourage you to discuss this with your Pediatrician. The Pediatrician will provide valuable input not only about whether they should see an OT, but what expectations you should expect. They'll likely also have referrals. Your child's doctor needs to be part of this discussion from the very beginning.

My son had weak muscle tone, digestive problems, and a few other issues through early HS. One of the supposedly best pediatricians in Manhattan found nothing wrong with him despite several inquiries from us. The muscle tome issues were especially frustrating, because he was just a godawful athlete, although almost every other male (and a number of females) in both parents' families were good to excellent athletes. The other next generation children in the family were, too.

It turns out that my son was allergic to wheat--not Celiac's, but a more garden variety food allergy. His pediatrician never even tested for it. My osteopath caught it and sent him to an allergist when he was a freshman in high school. After taking him off wheat, it took nearly two years for the symptoms to subside entirely. Now, at 26 he is stronger and more athletic than the peers who kicked his ass consistently through 10th grade, at least, and has no digestive problems. Do I have a point? Yeah, I do:

I would start with a pediatrician, to rule out underlying issues, but make he/she is damned good, and damned thorough. There are certainly numerous potential causes--or it could be nothing at all. An OT might miss things that the right MD would not.

if he needs any therapy the sooner you can start it the better..

Once in a blue moon someone will make fun of how I hold a pencil or fork. I never even thought about it until a few years ago.

My son had bad handwriting compared to kids his age, and he didn't like art or other hand-eye things. He's a beast at gross motor tasks, but didn't like fine motor.

Took him to OT to evaluate, they saw some issues, and found he has visuo-motor delays. So, there are tasks/games they do with him to improve. It's helping.

You don't want your child to start disliking school or falling behind. Better to get evaluated and addressed earlier. Take him to an OT for an evaluation. Most insurance will cover it, too.