DS6 has been in private OT 1 hr/wk for 7 months now. He's completely caught up to age level in fine motor skills, going from a fisted grasp to copying/writing most letters accurately. (The director of the center was surprised how fast he made progress. I suspect his issue was more a complete lack of interest in writing than an issue with using his fingers. He's never had trouble with buttons, legos, etc.)
His OT says that now she is primarily working on attention and self-regulation issues. She has to use "maximum encouragement" (ie sitting next to him and rewarding work with minutes of time in the sensory gym) to get him to complete the writing tasks.
When he was originally dx with AS, it was noted he had a lot of ADHD traits but did not qualify for a co-morbid dx because the preschool teacher's rating on the ADHD questionaire wasn't high enough. The psychologist said to try OT before medication.
What I'm wondering is, how much can OT really help with attention issues, and when is it time to consider a trial of medication? DS is going into kindergarten and his IEP does not give him an aide. (There will be a review after 30 days, and I suspect they may try to say he no longer qualifies for OT.)
12 Aug 2011, 5:19 pm
