A child who has difficulty with tasks expected of his age group, avoids activities that interest most of his peers, or seeks out or avoids touch or movement may be experiencing a sensory-motor difficulty.  A parent who observes these signs may benefit from consulting with an occupational therapist.  Some signs of possible difficulties include: 

□   Difficulty paying attention

□   Poor short-term memory

□   Poor reading comprehension

□   Difficulties spelling

□   Low academic/job performance

□   Difficulty starting and/or completing projects

□   Easily distracted in presence of background noise

□   Is oversensitive to certain sounds

□   Misunderstands directions or instructions

□   Confuses similar sounding words

□   Difficulty understanding jokes/puns/humor

□   Frequently asks “huh” or “what”

□   Difficulty discriminating sounds

□   Flat and monotonous voice quality

□   Speech lacks fluency and rhythm

□   Difficulty sounding out words

□   Mispronounces words

□   Difficulty summarizing a story/expressing thoughts

□   Hyperactivity

□   Has poor posture, including slouching or slumping

□   Has coordination problems

□   Difficulty with organization and planning

□   Is overwhelmed with sensory information

□   Confusion of right and left and/or location and direction

□   Lack of tactfulness

□   Poor social skills

□   Feels overburdened with everyday tasks

□   Low stress/frustration tolerance

□   Difficulty reading non-verbal communication

□   Poor self-image or low self-confidence

□   Complains of hand pain when writing

□   Avoids coloring

□   Poorly shaped letters  reversals

□   Awkward grasp of pencil

□   Writing too light or dark

□   Poor spacing between words

□   Can't remember how to make letters