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Children In Classroom
Kindergarten and Elementary School

The following lists are common indicators of sensory or motor dysfunctions/delays in young children. If a child exhibits one or more of the following, it does not necessarily indicate dysfunction; the child’s functional performance must also be below average for his age level.

    • Frequent inability to sit and attend to a tabletop activity for an age appropriate amount of time.

    • Refusal to engage in messy tactile activities like finger painting.

    • Seeking out an excessive amount of movement input in the form of bumping or crashing into objects.

    • Seeking out an excessive amount of spinning input.

    • Fear of movement activities where feet leave the ground or when there is a change in the position of the head.

    • Constantly touching others, mouthing non-food objects, and seeming not to understand personal space.

    • Inability to independently execute a familiar sequence of motor activities.

     

    Many children in kindergarten have a decreased attention span. This alone does not indicate a sensory integration dysfunction; the child must also have difficulty socializing, learning, or transitioning from activity to activity because of the decreased attention span. If a child demonstrates any of these signs AND her functional performance is negatively impacted, an occupational therapy evaluation is recommended.

  • Fine Motor

    • Inability to independently manipulate clothing fasteners

    • Lack of a hand dominance

    • Use of gross a palmar grasp to manipulate writing utensils

    • Inability to form shapes or letters at an age appropriate level

    • Inability to feed self independently with spoon, fork and/or cut with a knife

     
    If a child exhibits any of the above fine motor signs, an occupational therapy evaluation is recommended.

    Gross Motor

    • Excessive clumsiness

    • Inability to move through a busy environment without bumping into things

    • Unable or uncoordinated running, skipping, jumping, hopping, etc.

     
    If a child exhibits any of the above gross motor signs, a physical therapy evaluation is recommended.

    • Stuttering behaviors, repeating sounds, letters or words

    • Difficulty being understood by peers and adults

    • Difficulty with syntax-forming sentences in the correct order

    • Difficulty comprehending basic spatial concepts i.e. big/little, up/down

    • Difficulty answering and asking WH- (who, what, where, when, why) questions

     

    If a child exhibits any of these signs, a speech and language evaluation is recommended.

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