The following signs may indicate a sensory processing issues:

• 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.

The following signs may indicate motor planning/praxis issues:

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.

The following signs may indicate speech and/or language issues:

• 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.