By Peg Tyre

(NY Times) In Man­hat­tan, the bru­tally com­pet­i­tive nurs­ery and kinder­garten admis­sions process is lead­ing many par­ents to sign up their tod­dlers for ther­apy. “Preschool admis­sions tests loom large,” said Margie Becker-​​Lewin, an occu­pa­tional ther­a­pist on the Upper West Side. “In many cases, par­ents know there is noth­ing wrong with their child, but they feel caught in the middle.”

One father on the Upper East Side said anx­i­ety about his son’s grip — his 3-​​year-​​old holds crayons in his fist — pro­pelled him to seek therapy.

“The nurs­ery admis­sion peo­ple tell you they want your child to be ready to learn how to write,” said the father, who spoke anony­mously so his son wouldn’t run afoul of nurs­ery school admin­is­tra­tors. “And I knew they would take one look at the way my son held a crayon and he’d be out of the running.”

via Occu­pa­tional Ther­a­pists Are Help­ing Chil­dren With Hand­writ­ing — NYTimes​.com.