Children with major behavioral problems or outbursts are easily identified as needing help. Where they get help is all relative to what services are provided and promoted well in town. Then there are many children who are not as easily identified as having processing difficulties due to the subtle or inconsistent nature of their symptoms. Whether your child’s symptoms are obvious or not so obvious, this episode is for you! Last week I talked about the common symptoms seen in children ranging from infancy to the 4 to 5 year old range.This episode is a continuation of last week’s topic, with a large list of symptoms that may be seen in children who are old enough to sit at a desk to learn.Symptoms seen in the school-aged population can be much more extensive since the expectations increase here for learning and paying attention.  This is not an “all inclusive” or definitive list, but it should help you figure out if your child would benefit from further testing.

If a group of these symptoms stand out to you, or if even one symptom stands out strongly to you, I recommend taking this list to your pediatrician and talking to him or her about your concerns. You can also contact a local occupational therapist who has additional sensory training and ask them questions, to see if a full evaluation would be warranted. You can listen to this podcast episode, to get more detailed information and explanations of symptoms in this wide age range.

Occupational Therapy School-Aged Checklist:

  • Has trouble with cutting or tracing activities
  • Has difficulty reading or copying from the blackboard (slow or labored)
  • Has difficulty spacing letters as they are written
  • Reverses letters more often than his/her peers
  • Sometimes reads words backwards
  • Eyes tire easily; frustrated with writing and/or reading
  • Does not have normal hand dominance, or solid skill with either hand
  • Gets right and left confused often
  • Hyperactive, distractible, or poor attention span
  • Has trouble holding his head up while sitting
  • Becomes tired easily
  • Frequently fidgets and/or shifts body position while seated in a chair
  • Is not really good at sports or does not enjoy them
  • Has difficulty with eye-hand coordination tasks
  • Plays too rough; takes excessive risks during play
  • Gets confused with directions or forgets
  • Often stands too close to other people or bumps into them
  • Moves too slowly or too quickly
  • Becomes anxious when feet leave the ground
  • Has an unnatural fear of falling or fear of heights
  • Does not enjoy, or really craves movement activities such as exploring playground equipment
  • Dislikes or craves rough-housing, somersaults, rolling on the floor or jumping
  • Is threatened when other people move him
  • Constantly touches or leans on people/objects
  • Has not learned to do many self-help activities
  • Has trouble putting on clothes, using buttons or zippers and putting on shoes
  • Distressed with the feeling of certain clothes, tags, socks/shoes, hair washing &/or tooth brushing routines
  • Picky eater; dislikes certain tastes or textures of food
  • Craves certain foods; frequently mouths non-food items (i.e.- chews on shirt or pencils often)
  • Does things in an inefficient way
  • Appears weak or has low muscle tone
  • Is accident-prone/clumsy (i.e.- spilling/tripping)
  • Needs more protection than other children
  • Is more emotionally sensitive; feelings are easily hurt; expresses not being liked by self or others
  • Cannot tolerate upsets in plans or expectations
  • Bruises, bumps and cuts seem to hurt more than they do with other children
  • Is often stubborn or uncooperative; has frequent tantrums, meltdowns or emotional outbursts
  • Has a strong need to be in control and a hard time accommodating others (peers /adults)
  • Has a shortage of skills; has to practice each skill over and over
  • Has trouble with pencil control; messy written work
  • Lacks confidence with performance-based activities (i.e.- writing, playing games)
  • Is slow or hesitant to learn new games or skills
  • Has trouble with cutting or tracing activities
  • Has difficulty reading or copying from the blackboard (slow or labored)
  • Has difficulty spacing letters as they are written
  • Reverses letters more often than his/her peers
  • Sometimes reads words backwards
  • Eyes tire easily; frustrated with writing and/or reading
  • Does not have normal hand dominance, or solid skill with either hand
  • Gets right and left confused often
  • Hyperactive, distractible, or poor attention span
  • Has trouble holding his head up while sitting
  • Becomes tired easily
  • Frequently fidgets and/or shifts body position while seated in a chair
  • Is not really good at sports or does not enjoy them
  • Has difficulty with eye-hand coordination tasks
  • Plays too rough; takes excessive risks during play
  • Gets confused with directions or forgets
  • Often stands too close to other people or bumps into them
  • Moves too slowly or too quickly
  • Becomes anxious when feet leave the ground
  • Has an unnatural fear of falling or fear of heights
  • Does not enjoy, or really craves movement activities such as exploring playground equipment
  • Dislikes or craves rough-housing, somersaults, rolling on the floor or jumping
  • Is threatened when other people move him
  • Constantly touches or leans on people/objects
  • Has not learned to do many self-help activities
  • Has trouble putting on clothes, using buttons or zippers and putting on shoes
  • Distressed with the feeling of certain clothes, tags, socks/shoes, hair washing &/or tooth brushing routines
  • Picky eater; dislikes certain tastes or textures of food
  • Craves certain foods; frequently mouths non-food items (i.e.- chews on shirt or pencils often)
  • Does things in an inefficient way
  • Appears weak or has low muscle tone
  • Is accident-prone/clumsy (i.e.- spilling/tripping)
  • Needs more protection than other children
  • Is more emotionally sensitive; feelings are easily hurt; expresses not being liked by self or others
  • Cannot tolerate upsets in plans or expectations
  • Bruises, bumps and cuts seem to hurt more than they do with other children
  • Is often stubborn or uncooperative; has frequent tantrums, meltdowns or emotional outbursts
  • Has a strong need to be in control and a hard time accommodating others (peers /adults)
  • Has a shortage of skills; has to practice each skill over and over
  • Has trouble with pencil control; messy written work
  • Lacks confidence with performance-based activities (i.e.- writing, playing games)
  • Is slow or hesitant to learn new games or skills

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions related to the above symptoms. Our office staff would be happy to assist you in determining the need for an occupational therapy evaluation.

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