Sam: My son’s teacher complained about him not writing properly and thought he was defiant. I spoke to his doctor and explained the situation, the doctor said he has dysgraphia. What my son thinks in his head is not coming out on the paper, and he has bad handwriting too. What doctor will diagnose the dysfunctional basic psychological process of written language is the issue? The private psychologist said she can’t diagnose dysgraphia. The school psychologist does not think its anything other than behavior. I need a real detailed diagnoses with solutions/prognosis laid out.
Sam –
I encourage you to seek out an independent evaluation for your child. When the school has a misguided opinion of our child’s abilities, this is one of the best ways to (try to) steer them in the right direction (as well as provide some guidance for yourself).
Major hospitals often have clinics that specializing in diagnosing specific learning disabilities. You may also be able to get references from local learning disability organizations (see http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/), or from your local parent center (see http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/).
You often get the best evaluation when you pay out of pocket. If this isn’t an option, however, you ask the school for a publicly funded independent evaluation (your parent center can help you with this reques).