is pre k too young for an ot ?

I am in no way looking to start a battle on here i know i am not a teacher but i just feel like maybe they are just a little quick to jump to the ot card ?
My dd is 4 1/2 she will be 5 in june ...she has been doing great in school (pre K ) last year never had any problems and so far this year i thought all was well.
we received her first progress report and was told she was doing well great attitude works well with others listens blah blah ..however we were told we might want to look into getting her an ot because of the way she holds a crayon/pencil and the way she operates a scissor ( this is also her first time in he entire life she has ever worked with a scissor) she can dress herself she eats with a fork or spoon ( when she isnt being lazy) and now that i have been aware of the situation when she has homework i feel like i watch her like a hawk and for the most part she holds the crayon correctly till she gets bored and wants to goof around. my daughter is also not the first one to be told to look into getting ot there are a few that i know of .
I dont there is anything wrong with it but i honestly feel like its only december and she is 4 i dont know what do you ladies think ?

after this long post my question is do you really think i need to go further with this or wait till kindergarten and see what happens ...i did call my local school admin office and just for the evaluation i have to practically sign away my first born there is sooo much paper work to fill out . would you ladies just do it or wait it out and see what happens next year. Its not holding her back she writes her name and what not and performs the tasks they ask of her in class .


thank you in advance

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

I don't know if it is too young for an OT, or if it warrants it, but if the school wants to offer help to her then I would take it.

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

Its not too young....If they want to help I would take it!

Coming from the mom who is fighting for speech for her son

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

Babies get OT so 4 1/2 is far from too young. There is no too young. Infact the majority of SDs wont provide OT in Kindergarten without an IEP or 504 plan and unless there were other things going on, they wouldnt give her OT services. You really want to address these issues sooner rather than later. The older kids get the harder it is too fix. Definitely get the OT Eval. At 4 she should be holding a crayon/pencil just like an adult wound and she should be able to cut out simple shapes. It's worth filling out all the paperwork to see if there is some thing going on. It's totally free of charge and in PreK, CPSE , she can receive OT on an IEP as a stand alone service without needing any other services unlike school aged CSE.

Message edited 12/1/2015 1:38:30 AM.

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

My kid needs OT for the same reasons and they won't give it. So take it. Holding the pencil wrong becomes hard to change later on.

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

I know exactly what you mean. Both of my kids receive services. I was actually just talking with one of their OT's about this the other day. She said the level of expectation for our kids has increased tremendously which is why they are expected to do so much earlier. In her opinion, some things simply can't be mastered at 4, some letters kids don't have the muscles developed enough to write at that age, but the expectation is they need to write their name at Kindergarten. And not only that, but write it properly, sit properly while they do it, etc.

She said she remembers the days when kindergarten was most playing and learning ABCs and colors. Boy, have times changed.

It won't hurt her if she gets OT, but if she is deficient, a year can make a huge difference. I know it's hard to swallow in the beginning, but if she qualifies, why not? It will only help her.

is pre k too young for an ot ?

My son got ot in preschool..it helped him a lot..I didn't even realize he needed it but once it was pointed out to me some issues I saw it and they worked with him and improved it..one issue was the holding of the crayon too..he had low muscle tone

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

My son's Pre-K teacher recommended OT for him for the same reason. We took it into consideration, but decided to forego the OT because 1) we didn't think it was absolutely necessary 2) we knew he would be screened in kindergarten and 3) we kind of forgot about it and it never came up again.

Now here we are, almost middle of the school year and he just got approved for OT (thru the school - they had been working in groups with the OT for evaluation for the last month or so). We don't regret not seeking out OT earlier when it was first suggested, but when the suggestion from Kindergarten came, we weren't as shocked as we would've been had his Pre-K teacher not said anything.

I'm not sure if that helps, but that was just our experience.

is pre k too young for an ot ?

If she starts holding it right and then stops it may be low muscle tone. I would have her evaluated. The OT therapist will be able to tell if it really is low muscle tone or like you said she just doesn't want to do it that way.

is pre k too young for an ot ?

If you think your daughter is too young, how about a private evaluation? Just so that you could put your mind at ease. I know Saint Mary's in Roslyn has a great reputation.

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

Thank you ladies for all your comments and quick responses :) . I will def look into it like most of you said .. it is only an evaluation right now so she may not even need it but seeing as how some of you do actually need an ot for your little darlings and are having such a hard time getting one i would rather get a jump start on it and catch it in case there is something that we do need to address .

thank you again ladies and wishing you all a healthy happy holiday season.

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

I would def. get the evaluation. I don't think it is too early for OT either. It will only help her!

A teacher has many more kids to compare her to as well.

I wouldn't wait bc then if they suggest it next year, you will wish you started it this year!! good luck! :)

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

of course not, if it is needed it doesn't matter what the age is

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

I am an occupational therapist
Honestly - the younger the child receives services the better - habits are much harder to change after years and years
I typically see the most progress/changes with my youngest students
I highly recommend getting the evaluation - it doesn't hurt

is pre k too young for an ot ?

Definitely not to younger. The younger the better. A lot of my friends had OTs for their kids for the exact same reason and most "graduated" from services after a few months/a year. The problems can only get worse as they get older so helping them now is key.

is pre k too young for an ot ?

To me, if a teacher is suggesting it, I would fill out the paperwork to just get an evaluation. I'm a teacher and I see SO many kids that don't hold their pencils/pens correctly and it has a huge impact on their writing and letter formation. I have students that are in middle school that can't write in cursive and their print is barely legible due to holding a pencil incorrectly for years. The sooner it is corrected, the better it is for the kid.

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

Re: is pre k too young for an ot ?

I didn't read the other responses but I had two kids that needed OT at 4, one got it, the other didn't. The one that got it started kindergarten ahead of the game and did well. He still had sloppy handwriting until 2nd grade. My daughter didn't get it until kindergarten for other reasons and now she struggles. It can't hurt and things are so much easier to correct the younger they are. Kindergarten is what 1st grade used to be. They expect so much more for them. If she qualifies and it's free I don't see why anyone would turn it down.

ETA my daughter is still in kindergarten and struggling. I don't think she will struggle long term but I do wish she got it in Pre-K.

Message edited 1/25/2016 10:42:38 AM.