My seven old is struggling at school

by Sarah
(England)

My child is on a IEP at school. She is now seven but i have seen no improvements since she was five. She has great difficulty with writing and also maths skills. Her teacher said she needs to improve her fine motor skills.

How do i know if she has got a development delay or not? Is there any where i can go out of school for help?

Her teacher said she gets tired a lot and sometimes finds things difficult. My child has got some special needs but i don't what. Where do i go for help?

Comments for My seven old is struggling at school

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getting a professional opinion
by: OT Mom

Hi Sarah,
I am not based in the UK, so am not familiar with their system of referral, but I asked an OT friend over there, and she says you would need to be referred to a community paediatric occupational therapist by your GP or other health professional. Depending on where you live and the availability of OT’s there may be different criteria for OT waiting list/referral system.

Otherwise, you could approach a private occupational therapist for an assessment. The availability of private OT’s will depend on where you live.

My OT friend says that the best starting point is your GP or Health Visitor. They generally act as gate keepers to all the therapies/specialists.

Hope that helps. I think once your daughter has been evaluated, you will have a better idea of how to go about helping her.

Please don't hesitate to ask again if you have any more questions!

Ireland
by: Adrienne

Hi Sarah
I have a seven year old boy who is having problems keeping up with class mates in school, recently I have been able to have him assessed through the government system.
Some problems have been found in relation to bilateral intgreation and midline crossing but stay with it. The health systems seems to be the most comprehensive as they test for everything.
Good luck and stick with it.
Adrienne
Struggling 6y.o
by: Anonymous

Hi. My son is 6y 9m and writes like he was still in pre-school. I have also shared the frustration of watching him struggle. He is in Grade 2 and is not coping. I recently took him to a private Child Educational Psychologist who assessed him, paid a class visit and observed him being given work and to give up writing after close to 10 minutes of struggling and resorting to playing with paper.

The CEP suggested that we move him back to a lower grade. I am struggling a lot with how it is going to affect him as we are yet to tell him. I have been assured that he will grieve but will get over it. I just want you to know that you are not alone. I recommend that you take your little girl to a CEP and follow their advise.
Regards.

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