This is my first time on here....any advice would be great.

Yes, get her fully tested by qualified personnel. I would also talk to her pediatrician about getting a referral for OT/PT services/testing for Sensory Integration Dysfunction. (That could explain the clothing issues.) A good book on Sensory issues is The Out of Sync Child - http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/

This is also my first time here. My son is now 20 and we have recently moved to a new state and left all behind in NY for a better life in Florida. Grass always seems greener on the other side. I feel terrible for my son. He was diagnosed in 1st grade as LD and mild to moderate adhd. So the story goes with meds, tutoring, psychologists etc. Compulsive behaviors also. New clothes were a horror show. Nothing felt right. Socks had to be pulled up to knees even tough they were crew socks. Shoes tied several times before he considered them acceptable (even though they were cutting off his circulation). A woman who tutored him in his early years, and did testing on him too, (that I still keep in touch with) says there’s a new diagnosis out there called Broad Spectrum which she feels my son fits. Some LD kids have a little bit of several disorders. Look into this. At 20 most of his compulsivness has gone but now we have other social and work issues. I always found that counseling helped (both of us) but as they get older they don’t want to go. These kids put up barriers and feel everyone is against them. That is my main issue with my son. They seem lazy in the work force, but a lot of it is just being frightened and they can’t multi task. They don’t do well with taking orders because they feel everyone is against them. Now we are trying to get back to NY, it’s best for him…familiar territory. Good luck!

My son has Sensory Integration Dysfunction as well.

We have learned to buy only clothes that he can put on himself and that HE feels comfortable in. For us it just made since not to have his clothing be one more thing that causes a problem for him.

Consider buying clothes that do not have tags, and or allow her to try on several different socks at the store (or at home). Another thing we had to do was try different laundry detergents or drier sheets because the smell and or the “softness” of the clothes after being washed/ dried.

We had to go further with our son’s clothing issues to include his shoes: due to his fine motor skills he cannot tie shoes so we bought slip-ons (not Velcro) but now that he wears orthotics we did need to buy shoes that tie so I went to JoAnne Fabric and bought some of those “stop locks” that you might use on duffle bag strings and ran his laces through them so that if (WHEN) his shoes come untied they stay tight on his feet.

We buy him only soft pull over shirts so the does not have to button, his jeans we buy at the Gap as their jeans have elastic waists and a snap looking button that is really a slide type clasp so that he can put on and off his jeans by himself. (We do *not* want anyone having to assist him at school with getting his jeans up and or down in the bathroom!)

Sometimes the best things to wear are just simple sweats (boys clothing are by far warmer). Sometimes that is a challenge for teachers or parents but I know a lot of kids that prefer sweats over jeans or dresses.

I hope that is helpful. I know how painful it can be for my son and how frustrating it can be for both of us at times.

Good Luck,
DMS

I agree with getting an occupational therapy evaluation. It is best to get one done privately, if you can, because the eval is more thorough than what schools usually provide. If you have medical insurance, find a good OT and then call their clinic to ask about getting an evaluation. They handle insurance companies every day and can probably tell you exactly how a referral needs to be worded or coded so that the evaluation is covered.

I would also recommend getting a complete speech and language evaluation. Again, first find a good speech pathologist and then call their clinic to ask about evaluation. The problem with processing words could be a receptive or expressive language disorder.

You can also try calling your insurance company to ask about getting a complete neuro-psychological evaluation.

Depending on what the actual problems are, you may want to consider doing some remediation programs at home. Audiblox (http://www.audiblox2000.com) is a good generalized program that works on memory and attention skills, among others. Just be aware it requires daily one-on-one work doing the exercises, and most children do not start showing improvements until after 40 to 80 training hours.

Nancy

Mlwood: Sounds like you’re getting good advice here. I would agree that having a comprehensive evaluation by someone (or a group) is the first order of business. Kepp searching for info. There’s lots of good sites like ldonline. I would also check out ldresources.org good luck and keep us posted.
Sanford