Can occupational therapy help in your classroom?

I am the lucky mom to two wonderful children. These are two wonderful children who suffered some setbacks at birth, and because of this, have developmentally delayed motor skills. Had you asked me three months ago which one, if any, of my children were developmentally delayed in that area, I could have definitely pointed out the child with delays. However, after discussing some mannerisms and behaviors evident at home and in the classroom, it quickly became apparent that both of my children need to work on their motor skills. I have since learned that developmental delays, in which the innate reflexes that we are born with, have not naturally dissapated, can cause a variety of challenges in the classroom such as a child slumping in his/her seat, changes in pencil grips, attention deficit behaviors, problems with listening skills--just to name a few. I can safely estimate that probably 8 out of the 20 kids in my classroom this year suffer from some sort of developmental delay. But how do I address this?

I have three students that I have been bold enough to suggest to their parents that they might want to see a pediatrician to discuss the behaviors and mannerisms that I have noticed in order to see if getting a referal for an occupational therapist is in their best interest. Be VERY careful that you are not diagnosing the child yourself--we are teachers, not therapists or doctors! Out of the three students that I have discussed this with, none of the parents have followed up. Which leaves me to wonder why...

I wonder if it is an inability by the parents to accept that their child may not be 'whole' and 'perfect'--or is it that I am a teacher and may be regarded as not being knowledgeable about this subject. I have no answers for this. I can simply hope that these parents make the best decisions for their child.

I have attached a sample of writing from my seven year old son. Testing by the occupational therapist shows that his motor skill function is that of a 4 year old. I think any Pre-K or Kindergarten teacher would agree that this is a good assessment of his writing product. As a result, the occupational therapist reccommended Neuro Net, a program used across the country, to help with large and small motor skills. It is interesting to note that Neuro Net (akin to Brain Gym) is being used in many classrooms in private schools as a way to exercise the brain and improve academic performance. I only wish our private schools would get on the band wagon with them!

If you would like to learn more about Neuronet, here is a link to their site! neuronet.com