I am concerned that my 8 year old daughter is avoiding doing homework and other things that involve prolonged used of fine motor skills. I can get a list of occupational therapists from my insurance provider, but I was wondering if there was anyone out there who had a positive experience--or a negative one!--with a therapist in or around Arlington, VA. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and hopefully respond!
I took my daughter to see a Pediatric Occupational Therapist in Falls Church who ran tests and discovered that my daughter has a perceptual/visual differentiation problem. While it's not severe, it does explain why my daughter avoids doing close up work, avoidance being one of her coping skills!
Reinforced for me was to trust my instincts! Thank you to all who responded! I appreciated all the responses!
I liked working with L. Chuba, a home-based OT in Herndon --not as far out as I think of Herndon -- off Rt. 50 near the Chantilly library. My sons improved a lot in four months. One of them now loves to draw cartoons. I've heard good things about the Handwriting Detectives group -- I think they're in Springfield, but I haven't had a personal experience with them.
We like OT4Kids in westover. It is done at the baptist church right near swanson middle school.
H. -- once you have ruled out that there is an organic issue, maybe she just needs time. Not all children have the same motor skills at the same time. My son (8) just hates to write and won't do it. It is a chore. However he paints beautifully. He did a still life for a contest that is lovely enough for the wall. Another one he did I framed for his favorite aunt.
Instead of fretting over whether she can writer her ABCs, give her more arts and crafts work to do, an etch a sketch, dolls for coloring. Things she might WANT to do. It takes a massive amount of work - hand and eye coordination, muscle remembrance, and the desire to want to do something -- to write. For other things, dolls with clothing or those great "build a necklace" and other craft books (American Girls does some nice ones) that will have her working with small objects. Is she in public/private school? They have a tendency to demand that all children perform at the same level and if they don't there is a problem. Make sure it is a problem before they start putting your child through testing and "something is wrong with you" classes to fix a problem she may outgrow. Of course, I don't know your child or the depths of the problems and am assuming many things here. Always talk to your physician, etc. But as a mom, if you think your DD is really fine, she is just a bit slow on the writing, for example, then don't overreact. That is all I am saying. You can email me privately if you wish. J.
I highly recommend Good Beginnings in Falls Church (they're in Seven Corners/Rte 7 and Rte 50, next door to the Sears in the medical building). They offer OT and PT and I truly can't say enough good things about them. Their phone number is ###-###-#### and they are also preferred providers for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Good Luck!
A little about me: I'm a stay-home mom/writer with 2 kids who recently returned to the US after many years overseas in the Foreign Service. We have 2 daughters, an 8 year old typically developing child and a 2 year old who has developmental delays, sensory processing disorder and failure to thrive due to food allergies.
L. E.
Hi H.,
A phenomenal practice to check out is Good Beginnings (a practice of occupational and pysical therapists) in the Seven Corners area...Jane Kaplan Hull, Co-Director and physical therapist can direct you. I am a speech-language pathologist and have worked with Jane in the past. Good Beginnings # is ###-###-####. Good luck. D. Piccirillo
Hi H.,
Another great OT practice for you:
Skill Builders
They have an office in McLean and Annandale
###-###-####
www.skillbuildersllc.com
Good luck to you and your kids!
A. Dolin, M.Ed.
www.ectutoring.com
www.anndolin.com
H.,
First, a strong argument can be made that most homework at this age is both redundant and utterly useless, and you might need to give your daughter some credit for recognizing this.
Having said that, I hope you get some good recommendations for therapists, and I regret that I can't provide any. However, I also hope you will watch the following (very intriguing/entertaining) talk addressing the importance of children as individuals and their unique learning needs. I think it is vitally important that we don't hurl our children into a generic bin in which they are required to express their creativity and intelligence according to what a committee (usually as defined by public educators) thinks is important.
I hope this helps: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66
The end of the talk is especially compelling...the story about the little girl dancer (famous and successful now) who was nearly marginalized, and would surely have been drugged if the "forces that be" these days had their way. I think it's applicable to many, many children.
If this link doesn't work, please let me know, would be happy to email it.
best, M.
try Good Beginnings ( Juliette)-or Building Blocks Therapy- Falls Church-or Children's Speech and Language Therapy ( Donna Gaines) - Arlington. All of them are GREAT if you can get in to see them in a regular times slot. i believe these are teh best in our area. The group of SLP and OT's. Good Beginnings accept most insurances- they can provide other OT's in the area if they can't accomodate you- good luck and nice catch Mom!!! Let me know if you get in either place -perhaps we'll see you there-and i'd love to know if you love them as much as i do!
