Are you frustrated because your child avoids writing or writes poorly?

By Judith E. Lipson, M.A., LPC

Your child is not lazy! Children (and adults) who are poor writers may have difficulty with fine motor control or processing and organization. The following will give you tips on how to identify the potential source(s) of the writing difficulties and provide strategies for improvement.

Fine Motor

Evaluation: Ask your child to copy or write something for you.

• Grip: Does your child hold the writing instrument unconventionally?
• Pressure: Some children apply so much pressure that they tear the paper. They may grip tightly with a downward pressure to avoid an unsteady hand. Others apply very little pressure and the words may be hard to see.
• Tracing: If your child re-traces over letters and words, this may be a symptom of perfectionism or an obsessive-compulsive quality.

The Problem:  The child tires easily and quickly. Frustration and avoidance increase.

Solutions:

• Many kids successfully develop their own grip. If your child is young, you can encourage a correct grip on the pencil. If s/he has a lot of difficulty, consider a consultation with a physician, early childhood educator or occupational therapist. If your child is older, acceptance is probably best.
• Computer, netbook, Alphasmart, etc. TIP: use a flash drive or email to access work from different school and home computers.
• Allow the child to dictate.
• Oral assessments.
• Require fewer questions or math problems.

Visual Memory/Visual Motor

Evaluation: Ask your child to copy from a paper and from “the board” (place something vertically at a distance).

• Spacing and margins: Are the words placed properly on the line with proper side margins? Also look at spacing and letter size.
• Does your child copy a letter, a word or a phrase at a time?

The Problem: Your child can’t hold what needs to be written in his/her visual memory. This results in poor spelling and the inability to simultaneously hear and comprehend the information.

Solutions:

• Avoid writing on white paper.
• Reduce the amount to be copied.
• Provide this child with a copy of notes so that they don’t have to copy from the board or a book.
• Encourage the use of the computer for proper spacing and spelling suggestions.
• Promote assessments based on the mastery of information, not the process of lettering.
• Have your child’s vision evaluated by a developmental optometrist to determine if the eyes are working together properly.
• Have the child screened for Irlen Sensitivity.

Processing/Internal Organization

Evaluation: Ask your child to create a story in writing and then verbally. Compare their ease and the quality of the product.

The Problem:

• A disconnection between ideas and the expression of thoughts while writing.
• The child doesn’t know how to start.
• Poor self esteem – your child doesn’t expect success.
• The brain creates ideas faster than they can be expressed.
• If your child has difficulty expressing it verbally, there may be an expressive language difficulty – speak to your teacher to see if an evaluation by the Speech and Language Therapist is suggested.)

Solutions:

• Be encouraging!
• Initially, have the child respond orally while you scribe (preferably on the computer). Continue until the child trusts his/her own abilities.
• Brainstorm ideas (practice may be necessary).
• Start in the middle (especially on a computer) and build the story outward. Now organize the paper and see if there are ideas that can be expanded and reworded. Then correct punctuation, spelling and grammar.
• Provide counseling to address self-esteem, motivation and perfectionism.

Keep expectations reasonable and reachable. Encourage your child by praising efforts in all activities, not just school endeavors. While your child may not find ease in writing, s/he has other gifts and strengths. Focus on these. Over time, writing typically improves. If you need assistance, request the help of a teacher, tutor or specialist.

Judy Lipson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and educational strategist in West Bloomfield. She helps clients of all ages who have learning difficulties; work or school related anxiety; ADHD; Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorders; and those who wish to Remember and Become Who You Really Are. Contact Judy at 248.568.8665 and judylipson@spiralwisdom.net, and visit www. SpiralWisdom.net for more information.

Published in Metro You Magazine, October 2011

Come with me on an informative journey to learn about learning disabilities. You will learn how to recognize a possible learning disability in your child, as well as strategies to make the challenges easier (whether or not there is a certified learning disability).

For a child to have a learning disability there must be a discrepancy (difference) between their IQ Score (intelligence) and their achievement scores (academic levels). School districts use different discrepancy scores.

There are 7 areas of learning disabilities and a person can have a learning disability in one or more of these areas.

Oral Expression is how well the child speaks their thoughts or how clearly they make the letter sounds. If this is the only problem, then the child is Speech and Language Impaired (SLI) rather than LD. A speech and language therapist can offer ideas that you can do with your child at home.

Listening Comprehension is the child’s ability to understand words and ideas and remember oral directions. (Listening and follow-through are frequent complaints for children with ADHD, but this may not be a learning disability.)

• Give only 1 or 2 oral directions at a time
• Pair a verbal direction with words or a picture
• Make a list for morning, after school, and evening routines
• Include pictures on the list (let the child help to select)

Written Expression is expressing oneself in writing. Often these children express themselves well verbally, but when asked to write, don’t know how to begin. They also may have difficulty with run-on sentences. Some children’s writing is to the point and they don’t know how to expand their writing. Written expression often includes fine motor coordination and difficulty copying from the board or a book.

• Eliminate or minimize the amount that needs to be copied (provide a set of notes)
• Allow them to write on a computer
• Have them dictate to you
• Provide oral tests
• Have the child brainstorm ideas, then write the essay (start in the middle if needed), then correct grammar and lastly punctuation

Reading Skills (decoding) and Reading Comprehension can occur together or a child might have just one. A learning disability in reading skills can include choppy reading, monotone reading, reversing letters, skipping lines, rereading words.

• Eliminate bright lights
• Use a plain ruler to place under the line they’re reading
• Read to them (books on tape, etc)
• Avoid scantron tests (which use fill-in-the-bubble answer sheets)
• Use colored paper to reduce the glare
• Allow extra time
• See an Irlen screener (www.irlen.com); use colored overlays
• Consider having your child’s vision tested by a Developmental Optometrist to determine if the eyes are working together properly
• Test for phonological difficulties – this is the ability to hear and manipulate sounds without seeing the lettersPlay rhyming games with your child; a specialist can share more ideas

Some children who are poor readers can have excellent comprehension. A learning disability in reading comprehension is when the child has difficulty with “higher level thinking” – analysis, synthesis, categorizing etc.

• Use pictures, your child’s interest areas and what they already understand to teach new concepts
• Offer lots of review
• Specialized tutoring is usually best for this difficulty

Math Skills is completing math problems. It is important that children understand the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Yet, children with learning disabilities rarely find success memorizing math facts.

• Use blocks and other three-dimensional objects to teach math facts and concepts
• Memorize facts in small chunks and review often
• Use a calculator
• Older children often need a math tutor (don’t wait until too many math concepts are missed)

Math Comprehension includes time, money, measurement and word problems.

• Use the child’s interest areas to help them understand the concepts
• A math tutor or specialist in learning disabilities may be needed

I hope that this information helps you to understand learning disabilities and to navigate your children’s challenges. If after reading this information you suspect that your child has a learning disability, contact your child’s teacher or counselor. You can contact me, or another specialist, if you are looking for strategies for your child’s specific needs, want information about Irlen, or are looking for guidance while navigating the world of IEPs, evaluations and meetings.

Judy Lipson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and educational strategist in West Bloomfield. She helps clients of all ages who have learning difficulties; work or school related anxiety; ADHD; Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorders; and those who wish to Remember and Become Who You Really Are. Contact Judy at 248.568.8665 and judylipson@spiralwisdom.net, and visit www. SpiralWisdom.net for more information.

Published in Metro You Magazine, March 2011