Signs of Auditory Dysfunction

by Cathryn Day
(Rabat, Morocco)

I have always known that my 9 year old boy has fine motor problems. He never liked to color as a preschooler and now seems to be behind in writing neatness. He also hates to tie his shoes. I never thought anything of it. But today I was looking on this website to see if I could find some games to play with him that might improve his handwriting when one sentence stood out at me. It said that fine motor problems are often associated with some type of sensory dysfunction. All of a sudden a light bulb went off. My son definitely shows signs of auditory dysfunction. He does not flush the toilet because of the sound, he gets angry and covers his ears when he hears any type of "scratching."

An example could be nothing more than a pencil on paper if the paper is on a bit of a rough surface. He hates it when people around him sing and he complains of construction noise when he needs to do his homework. He is a brilliant boy and at the top of his class. I never knew what to do about this before, but as soon as I can I am going to have him evaluated. Thank you.