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Post by rucaramona on Feb 23, 2015 11:47:42 GMT -5
My son is in Kindergarten, and by all accounts of his teacher, struggling greatly. He took the WJ III on 2.12.14 and scored in the average range on most things, except written expression. Spelling subtest his % rank was 11 and Writing Samples was 16%. I read somewhere that the WJ III is not the best test for writing, especially in younger kids - but it did not give recs for what was.
I want to ask for him to be tested again, but not sure if I should request a different test, or do the same to see if the scores went down on the same test? Any advice?
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Post by bros on Feb 23, 2015 12:24:08 GMT -5
The OT should test him. There are a variety of tests an OT can perform for handwriting.
There's the Children's Handwriting Evaluation Scale, but that is only for grades 3-8. There's the Children's Handwriting Evaluation Scale for Manuscript Writing, which is for grades 1 & 2. There's the Test of Handwriting skills, which can be done on 5 year olds.
Honestly, it might be best if the OT evaluates him for motor skill difficulties, as it is very difficult to diagnose dysgraphia at that age, unless there's a doctor involved that has intimate knowledge of dysgraphia.
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Post by healthy11 on Feb 23, 2015 18:07:08 GMT -5
There is a test called the TEWL, Test of Early Written Language, and perhaps that would be appropriate...according to concordspedpac.org/TypesTests.html it says that it can be used for children as young as age 4. I do think, especially with young children, it's important to discern if writing problems are related more to motor skills issues, which is what an OT evaluation could show, and/or if the spelling problems indicate phonological processing issues and perhaps dyslexia... The link I mentioned above should give you more information about that type of testing, too.
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Post by michellea on Feb 24, 2015 9:33:34 GMT -5
I agree with the above - both an OT evaluation to test the fine motor aspects of writing and the Test of Early Written Language would be appropriate.
I would keep in mind that in Kindergarten, sometimes academic testing can not reveal very real difficulties. The tests themselves are very structured and brief, and often do not represent the demands of school. A student may have the skills in isolation, but not the ability or stamina to pull it all together to be successful in school. The WJIII is especially notorious for this.
Also keep in mind that in Kindergarden, the "race" has just begun. Just like a road race, at the outset, not much happens and the students and runners are all bunched together for the first 20 yards. But, as the race continues, the runners begin to spread out with the high performers well ahead and the slower runners falling further and further behind as the distance unfolds. Everyone looks good for the first 20 seconds, then it falls apart for some. This is like school - the demands of Kindergarten compared to other elementary grades are light. Even struggling learners can keep up. The variance between the learners is relatively small. But, as time goes on, these students are expected to learn more and more and increase their pace and build on a shaky foundation. In second grade or so, the testing can more easily reveal their struggle.
I also agree with Healthy that phonological processing should be checked out. CTOPP has a test battery that measures this and is normed for a younger age group.
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