My baby and occupational therapy (maybe)

Deep sigh. I have to state for the record, first, that Daisy was the most verbal child I have ever met in my life, and I swear it's not parental bias. She had several words (dada, mama, hi, hey) by the time she was six months old and many more by the time she was nine to ten months old. At 16 months she spoke in phrases and short sentences and started counting; she had long sentences under control by 18 months. Her pronunciation, too, has always been oddly precise and non-babylike. Before she was two, she had memorized entire books and would sit by herself, turning the pages and reciting the entire story word for word. She did this with dozens and dozens of books. Now that she's three and a half, she can read a little, do some addition and subtraction, and count forwards and backwards without error to high numbers. I have also found her to be a quick study when we've tried to teach her important skills. She potty trained quickly, hardly ever had accidents, and has been out of nighttime pullups for months. So: I am pretty sure, when I remind myself of all these things, that she is intelligent and alert upstairs.

But she didn't crawl till she was a year old, and she didn't walk till fifteen months or so. Around that time her doctor referred her to a physical therapist who told us she is extremely flexible with loose joints and low muscle tone (hypotonic). At three and a half, she still does not climb ladders and is so afraid to try that I can't even attempt to teach her. At the playground she is outdone physically by two-year-olds. I can't get her near a tricycle and she shows great trepidation about any toy that involves movement. Her preschool teachers have told me extensively about her poor motor skills. Her hands don't have good control (although they highly praise her page-turning ability, which is a fine motor skill); she is not strong; she is uncoordinated; she needs to learn to hop on one foot and skip; etc, etc, etc. They pointed out that she has a very hard time taking her shoes on and off and with other articles of clothing, which is certainly true (we've been working on it; she's gotten a little better). Apparently they have a hard time getting her out of the library section of the room, and at times she lies on the floor talking to herself. (When I first heard this I was a bit freaked out, but even at home she sometimes sits with her dolls and animals, telling long, animated stories and doing "voices," which is just so cute--and I guess she might do it lying down sometimes.)

Today I tried to make cookies with her and felt almost speechless realizing the extent of her limitations. I asked her to mix things with a wooden spoon but her arm was like a limp noodle. As much as I encouraged her, she was either unable or unwilling to put any strength into it whatsoever. I switched to having her scoop flour out of a big bowl and dump it into my bowl while I mixed, but this task proved even more challenging. She was unable to scoop much flour and I'm almost embarrassed to describe her technique, which mostly consisted of skimming the bottom of the measuring cup along the top of the flour. I think she was really trying, too. Her dumping of the flour into my bowl was highly inaccurate, too.

I started to feel worried. I've made an appointment now at Kaiser to have her evaluated by an occupational therapist, but I am almost afraid to hear what he or she will have to say.

EDIT: Okay, that was yesterday. I was totally appalled by how unable she was to help me with the cookies. I agree with her teachers that her motor skills need work, and I am going to keep the OT appointment. But I have calmed down. It must be the book I am reading about multiple intelligences!

Also, it's not as if she doesn't like playgrounds or doesn't like to do anything physical. She loves dancing and physical play, and she's often quite active at the playground--just not doing the same things on the same level as other kids her age.

The other thing I don't quite get is that when she seems motivated and interested, she seems able to master a fine motor skill. For instance, the page-turning: she really was good at it from an early age, and probably at an earlier age than other kids--very precisely turning pages and not missing a page or ever ripping a book accidentally. And lately, she has mastered bead-stringing, which is a fine motor skill. So... maybe she is just not interested in the other skills? I dunno. I'd love to hear the OT's view. One of the reasons I worry is that you read all the time about the importance of "crossing the midline" and it's a big deal in Montessori education.