Bright-minds

Cool Tips and lots of information

2007-04-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

I posted something from this site before, but wanted to include this link again, as I was there today and there is a lot more to look over. I found a couple links to math sites to help teach the multiplication tables. Check it out! http://www.dyslexia-parent.com/magazine.html

Importance of Early Stimulation

2007-03-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

I just met with some folks who do assessments for learning difficulties and they stressed the need for babies to have stimulation on their tummies. The thing these days is to put babies to sleep on their backs to avoid SIDS, when babies stop breathing while sleeping. But they were saying that when the babies are never on their tummies they don't develop certain neural pathways which can inhibit learning later on. In the Family we used to be very proactive with baby exercise and massage and stimulation, so I just thought I'd mention it as a reminder to keep stimulating our wonderful little cuties! Another thing they stressed is using math manipulatives. They also use clay alot to make letters or numbers or to tell stories.

Magnesium and Vitamin B6

2006-10-23T14:19:00.001-07:00

In August I posted this web site which has a monthly newsetter. This month it talks about magnesium and Vitamin B6 supplements. Thought it would be interesting for others so here's the article.

"Magnesium, Vitamin B6& ADHD
Magnesium is an important element in the body because it’s needed for many basic functions, including acting as a cofactor for 300 different enzymes. It’s also involved in fatty acid oxidation, neurotransmission and immune function. About 99 percent of magnesium in your body is inside your cells including bone, muscles and brain cells. Only 1 percent circulates in the blood.
A recent French study by Mousain-Bosc published in a journal called Magnesium Research reports improvement in neurobehavioral disorders (ADHD and autism in a separate study) in children who were given supplements of magnesium and vitamin B6. This is not a new idea. For many years parents have reported improvements in “physical aggression” and improved “social responsiveness” when their children took these supplements.
Mousain-Bosc based their study on reports from other scientists plus their own observations. In 1997 researchers assessed magnesium levels in 116 children with ADHD using serum, red blood cells and hair samples. Magnesium deficiency was found in 95 per cent of these children. Almost 59 percent had low magnesium levels in red blood cells, while about 34 percent had low levels in serum. Over 77 percent had low hair levels. [However, the value of hair analyses is controversial.]
In another study reported by the same scientists they attempted to assess the effectiveness of magnesium on hyperactivity and ADHD in 50 children. The average magnesium dose used was 200 mg and the duration of the study was 6 months. The control children were composed of 25 children with ADHD and magnesium deficiency. They received standard treatments and no magnesium. After 6 months, the children who received the magnesium supplement had increased magnesium in hair and a significant decrease in hyperactivity compared to their baseline scores and also compared to the controls.
In 2004 Mousain-Bosc reported a study using magnesium and vitamin B6 supplements in 52 “hyperexcitable” children. At the end of the trial all patients had significantly fewer symptoms of excitability, and magnesium levels in their red blood cells were in the normal range. This was an open study, meaning there was no control group.
In a study [published in Russian so I could not read the actual article!] a supplement of magnesium and vitamin B6 was used to treat 31 children with ADHD. Twenty children with similar ADHD symptoms comprised the control group. They received a “poly-vitamin pill.” After 30 days the children were given several clinical-neuropsychological and biochemical tests. The group receiving the magnesium and vitamin B6 showed significant improvements in their behavior—less anxiety, less aggression, less hyperactivity and improved attention compared to the control children. The abstract did not say whether the study was double-blind. In other words, did the patients and researchers know who was receiving the magnesium and vitamin B6 and who was getting the vitamin pills?
Based on all this research, Mousain-Bosc in 2006 reported improvement in children with ADHD supplemented with magnesium and vitamin B6. The control group was 36 healthy children without ADHD. They followed 40 children who had ADHD over 8 weeks. The children received 6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight for magnesium and 0.6 milligrams per kilogram for vitamin B6. For example, a 100 pound child weighs about 45 kilograms and would have received about 270 mgs of magnesium and 27 mgs of vitamin B6. Those children who received the magnesium-vitamin B6 tablet significantly increased their red blood cell magnesium and decreased their hyperactivity, aggressiveness and improved their attention. When the supplement was stopped, these symptoms returned.
One problem with this study is the absence of a group of similar ADHD children who received a look-a-like inactive substance. In ADHD—and in many other medical and mental disorders—the presence of a placebo affect is quite high. In other words, just taking an inactive tablet that you think might help you improves your symptoms! The researchers of this 2006 magnesium and vitamin B6 study chose not to have a placebo group and/or a group taking stimulant medications for the following reasons: They believed parents would be opposed because their children might receive the placebo and six months of active treatment would be lost. In addition, stimulant medications appear to affect magnesium levels.
Another interesting report from Mousain-Bosc and co-workers was a similar study in children with autism. Twenty three of 33 children improved their symptoms with no adverse effects. After the supplement was stopped, symptoms of autism worsened.
What does all this research have to do with your child? There is a simple test for magnesium deficiency. It’s called Chvostek’s sign. Just tap lightly in the hollow of your child’s check, halfway between the corner of his mouth and the bottom of his ear. The area you tap is the facial nerve. If the upper lip beneath his nose twitches or jumps, the test is considered “positive.” This usually indicates a magnesium and/or calcium deficiency. It’s impossible to fake this test.
Magnesium chloride and magnesium citrate are two well-absorbed supplement forms. The only side effect of taking too much magnesium is diarrhea. After all, magnesium is the active ingredient in milk of magnesia! If your child gets diarrhea, stop the supplement for a few days. Then try it again at a lower dose. Supplementing magnesium is a safe, cheap, easy kind of therapy to try. (Children with kidney problems should take magnesium only under their doctor’s close supervision.) "
References
Coleman, M.C. 1979. A Preliminary Study of the Effect of Pyridoxine Administration in a Subgroup of Hyperkinetic Children: A Double-Blind Crossover Comparison with Methylphenidate. Biological Psychiatry. Vol. 14(5), pp.741-751.
Kozielec, T. 1997. Assessment of magnesium levels in children with attent6ion deficit hyperactivity disorder. Magnesium Research. Vol. 10(2), pp. 143-8.
Stratobrat-Hermelin, B. The effects of magnesium physiological supplementation on hyperactivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Positive reponse to magnesium oral loading test. Magnesium Research. Vol. 10(2), pp. 149-56.
Mousain-Bosc, M. Magnesium Vitamin B6 intake reduces central nervous system hyperexcitability in children. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Vol. 23(5), pp. 545S-548S.
Nobovitsina, O.R. 2006. Effect of MAGNE-B6 on the clinical and biochemical manifestations of the syndrome of attention deficit and hyperactivity in children. Eksp Klin Farmakol. Vol. 69(1), pp. 74-7. In Russian.
Mousain-Bosc, M. 2006. Improvement of neurobehavioral disorders in children supplemented with magnesium-vitamin B6. Magnesium Research. Vol.19(1), pp. 46-52for You.htm

World of Dyslexia Discussion Forum Link

2006-10-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.dyslexia-teacher.com/t98.html This is a link to the World of Dyslexia Advice Line and Discussion Forum. I read quite a few entries today and found a lot to look further into. Many posts deal with public school situations, but aside from legalities people ask for advice and others post helpful tips or methods, sites to explore and more.

This is one of the posts I read and thought it might be of interest:

Have any of you ever tried "narrow columns" for reading?A number of my students have visual anomalies that make tracking a line of print across a full line, then skipping back to next line, very difficult. They all, of course, have been taught to read word-by-word. I have toyed with making columns of print only two or three words wide so that the reader can RELAX THE FOCUS, grasp the PHRASE, and read DOWNWARD. From the reaction of my students I think I was on to something... (This is what speed-readers do with longer lines of print - a skill which may develop over time if emphasis is put on "seeing" an increasingly wider span of words at a glance.)Details of what I did are on the Learning Disabilities Resource Community's website (ldrc.ca) in my short article "Narrow Columns for Dyslexic Readers".I think double-spacing, pale blue paper, and perhaps, larger print, may also be important.Those of you familiar with "graphic novels" will know that it is very possible to produce books that read from traditional "back" to traditional "front". For years we have also had large-print books. IF narrow columns with double-spacing helps more readers, why not start producing books in this style also? (Newspaper and magazine columns are too wide for beginners, but that would be a next step - those, and "graphic novels" where speech in cartoon bubbles is never more than a few words wide!)Change the nature of the task instead of trying, always, to change the child.Ann Thompson

An Interesting Newsletter Link

2006-08-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Time has flown!!!! This is an interesting link for a newsletter by a nutritionist about ADD/ADHD kids. http://www.nlci.com/nutrition/
She touches on different issues, like essential fatty acids & behaviour, sleep needs, drugs for ADD, diet. It is interesting and her approach is more toward controlling things with food, sleep, and dietary supplements. Check it out.

An Article About Confidence Building from Dyslexia Teacher Website

2006-04-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the link if you want to go there : http://www.dyslexia-teacher.com/t66.html
This article is about kids who go to school, but it can apply to homeschooled kids too, to help boost self-confidence, especially if they see their brothers or sisters passing them by academically. Strengths and weaknesses - we all have them! Let's dwell on the positive!

CONFIDENCE BUILDING

A CONFIDENCE BUILDING EXERCISE
The majority of dyslexic children have come to the conclusion that they are stupid! In any school in any week of the year a dyslexic child experiences a huge amount of failure. With sequencing difficulties, any form of writing or math/s is going to present severe problems, and the dyslexic child cannot fail to notice that almost all of the other children are able to do the work which he or she finds so hard. Why can't he read and spell? He must be dumb, thick, stupid. It's the conclusion that anyone would reach in similar circumstances, and it badly needs changing before any corrective teaching is going to be effective. However good our methods with phoneme awareness, finding interesting books and word games are, this basic foundation for each child of a secure self-confidence has got to be addressed before any real progress can be hoped forThe difficulty with dyslexia is that it is not visible. If the child had a broken arm, everyone would be rushing around giving extra consideration. 'Of course he can't write - his arm is broken! There's nothing wrong with his intelligence.' But no-one ever says 'Of course he can't spell - he has inherited a different pattern of brain circuits! There's nothing wrong with his intelligence.'Teachers, parents and the dyslexic child himself come to the clear conclusion that he must be slow-witted.
What I am suggesting is a little cognitive therapy by the teacher, if possible in conjunction with the parent! Not as hard as it seems. The assumption in the child's mind - that he is stupid - is inaccurate, and it needs correcting if he is to re-establish the self-confidence he needs to learn. This is not going to be achieved simply by telling him that he's as intelligent as the next person. Well-intentioned people have been telling him that for years to no effect. He needs evidence, and he needs to re-construct the picture he has of himself in his own mind. Only in this way can he see his difficulties as a dyslexic learner in the proper context of a person - like anyone else - who has both strengths and weaknesses. Most dyslexic people have great strengths in the areas of physical co-ordination and/or creativity and/or empathy with other people. His strengths may lie in some of these areas, and he will know that lots of other children are weak in exactly these same areas.The following exercise has a great effect on children, and can be carried out by a parent, or a teacher, or, if at all possible, both together with the child, who needs to be on his own (not in a group situation). Take a sheet of paper and make two columns: in one column put 'Things I am good at' and in the other 'Things that I am not so good at'
Things that I am good at
Things that I am not so good at
Take about five or ten minutes of discussion with the child for you to write a list of things that the child is - from an objective point of view - successful at. These will include such skills as swimming, sports, caring for pets, making a collection, dancing, drama, singing, art, painting, drawing, and so on. In the 'Not so good' column let the child tell you the things like spelling and writing that he really finds hard. The list will look something like this, depending of course on each child's interests:
Things that I am good at
Things that I am not so good at
swimmingdivingbasketballlooking after my rabbitsdrawingpaintingcollecting stampsgetting on well with other childrenclearing the tablemaking people laughsoftballbeing friendly to grandpaknowing about space and the planetsetc.
spellingreadingwritingmath/s

The evidence is staring the child in the face: there are far more things that he is good at than things he has difficulties with. He can't possibly be stupid. He is clearly a successful person.But he may well say that the things he is weak at are the things that matter in life. If you can't spell, how can you pass exams and get a job? This is the stage at which you have to argue - not tell - and say such things as 'What do you value people for - because they are good at spelling? Of course not. You value people for all sorts of qualities, especially their ability to be friendly, get on with you, consider your needs, think of other people before themselves and so on. It's up to you to keep the argument going until the child can really begin to see himself in a new light - as a successful person who just happens to have been born with a small handicap. Like being color-blind. It's not his fault. It's not because he doesn't try hard enough (as, unfortunately, many teachers will have told him).Seeing himself in a new light can be a turning point for the child - whatever his or her age - and this new-born self-confidence can lay the foundation for the special kind of learning he needs to build up the spelling and writing skills that his fellow pupils find so much easier to acquire. But it's not an over-night change, and it needs carefully nurturing over the coming month. The list should be carefully preserved and pinned up at home in the kitchen for all to see. He needs praise, gold stars, credits, and certificates over the coming weeks for things he does in school - of a non-academic nature - which are commendable: helping a new pupil to settle in, co-operating well in a games session, coming up with a fresh creative idea for art, and so on. The certificates he receives for these valuable activities may be the first he has ever received in his entire school career.John BradfordJune 2001
Confidence-building in practice
I began this activity by talking about a new session my learners would be having with me, which is Positive thinking. I modelled on the board my list and the children called out ideas. At the beginning of this activity this particular learner said, 'I'm not good at anything'.
My reply was 'Yes you are. You are good at football'. This made him realise that - yes - he can do things. With some discussion he managed to make a list.
Things that I am good at:
Football Running Drawing Helping my friends
Things that I am not so good at:
Reading Writing stories
At the end of the session he felt quite confident about the things he isn't so good because I was able to bring to his attention that he can read just not as well as he is wanting to at the moment. We talked about books he had read and group reading activities where he sometimes helps other children with words like they help him.
The following day it was group reading. He put his hand straight up to be the first to read and he read steadily and more readily accepted help from the other children. (S. B-W., Somerset, UK)
Recognizing low self-esteem
A J is the typical 14-year-old boy—great athlete, “cool” with the girls, and loves to clown around when the pressure is on. I believe that underneath that façade what he projects is fear of failure in the eyes of his peers. During class he appears to pay attention but, when he is called upon to answer something that he is unsure of, he pretends not to have heard anything in the past five minutes.
This elicits a classroom response of giggles, especially in English or history. Science is a totally different matter, where he is truly interested, and is the first to answer or ask questions about an experiment. History and English are difficult, so he is frequently forgetting to complete assignments on schedule without constant reminders. He wants his peers to believe that he is just as carefree as everyone else and that school doesn’t offer any extreme challenges. (Lisa Landers, Texas)
Praise for non-academic achievements
Dyslexic children rarely receive certificates, merit points or stars for academic achievements. To compensate for this, non-academic achievements can easily be recognised and rewarded. Examples of such instances include:-
• Helping in class by handing out/collecting in work;• Demonstrating to rest of class in P.E.;• Showing good effort (regardless of outcome); • Keeping desk tidy; • Being organised with own equipment for lessons; • Showing kindness to others; • Willingness to participate in discussions; • Sitting quietly and attentively; • Good table manners at lunchtime; • Helping to put out equipment or tidy up; • Being polite; • Setting a good example to younger pupils; • Willingness to become involved in all aspects of school life (productions, clubs, trips, fundraising activities, etc). (Rebecca Draper, Suffolk, UK)
Creating a true picture
I made a list up with MC of his strengths, things that come easy to him, and his weakness', things that he struggles with. When we started the list it was just me asking him what he thought of himself and he mainly focused on the areas he thought he was weak in. He seemed to think that there was automatically suppose to be more negative than positive things on the list. If there was more positive he tried to come up with negative things to make that side more. So then I had his sister, dad and I be a part of the list and we had so many positive things to say about the type of person he was that he was smiling and agreeing with them, he could tell we weren't just saying those things but that we actually meant it. By the time we were done the list of strengths way out weighed the negative and he believed that the list was right. He was able to see on that piece of paper the areas he struggles in are just a very small part of who he is a whole person. (T.R., Orlando, USA)
An adaptation to the Confidence-building Exercise
Kez Celiker suggests adding an additional column to improve the confidence-building exercise.
A 10-year old dyslexic boy
I did the confidence-building exercise with him. He had to make two lists of things he was good at and things he wasn’t so good at. He could also make drawings with the list of things. The drawings he liked very much. He even drew himself smiling in the list of things he is good at. Before he started at the lists he had a serious expression on his face while I was explaining the exercise (I told it was a kind of game).He started with the things he isn’t so good at. After that he continued this with the list of things he is good at. While he was busy writing down things he is good at (and doing a few drawings) and seeing the list being so long, the expression on his face started changing. He really started beaming! After he was finished I asked him if he was happy with his lists and he admitted that he was very happy because he had never known he was so good. The next time he started the session by saying that he has more things to add to his list of things he is good at. I had him do that. I was very surprised.He even said that now he was also thinking of what he would become when growing up. (P.T., Curacoa, Netherland Antilles)
Praise for non-academic achievements
These opportunities to praise AK, my daughter (aged 8), have really arisen at home over the last couple of weeks. Some of them have been rewarded, as well as praised.
1. You cross-country-skied nine kilometres on the school trip! Class record-breaker! 2. You’ve been playing with your little sister really nicely, all afternoon. 3. You’ve drawn such a beautiful picture. 4. You chose really pretty fish; our aquarium looks great with its new members. 5. The cookies you made (Granny’s recipe) taste just as good as Granny’s! 6. You got brave enough to put your face in the swimming pool water. 7. You were so kind to your little sister when she was ill. 8. You’ve tidied away all the pens and pencils in your room, just like I asked you. (I’ve learnt NOT to ask her to tidy her room, but rather to subdivide the task!) 9. I don’t know how you can make such brilliant models out of so few pieces. You have a knack for ”simple but effective.” 10. You are the best teacher Mummy’s ever had; I’m getting better at rolling my ”r”s in the Finnish language. (H.K., Finland)
Making positive statements
One helpful exercise someone taught me was to have the child repeat positive statements about their hard work and effort. Examples: "I do a good job when I work hard." or "I feel good about myself when I try hard." I've tried this with a child who was incredibly anxious about her academic performance, and it has seemed to help. By focusing more on effort and work rather than the end product or grade, self-praise can be earned each learning opportunity, whether it be an assignment or a test. Not all children can earn excellent grades, but all children can be proud of how hard they are working and putting good effort towards attempting a task. By focusing on the work ethic, we are teaching children that trying is more important than making a 100 on every test. (B.W., Tennessee)

Here's Another Post!

2006-04-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.crosswalk.com/family/home_school/1356590.html -This is a link to an article which has truly been an inspiration to me. How to teach kids who can't sit still? Give them lots of motion!

Link for phonics ideas

2006-04-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.synthetic-phonics.com/phonics_activity.html This is a link to a site with ideas for teaching phonics. Looked interesting!

Does anyone know about "Brain Gym"?

2006-04-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

I heard about something called Brain Gym. At first I thought it to be exercises to help focus, so kids (or anyone) could concentrate and not stay distracted by one's thoughts or the many things happening around you. There are indeed exercises but I also read a couple of articles warning about Brain Gym, one said the information about it was full of new age terminology. Another talked about a woman who uses it extensively as also teaching yoga. Others in England just ridiculed it. I wonder if the exercises alone can indeed help one to concentrate so as to be able to read or do math, but if you get more into the program that then it might get into opening up yourself to influences that are of a spiritual nature. One place it talks about emptying your mind, and we know that the Bible talks about thinking about good things, whatsoever things are pure, just, lovely, of good report, not emptying our minds. So does anyone have any knowledge about Brain Gym? Could you let us know? Thanks!

Writing Problems

2006-03-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

I found this article to be interesting, mainly because of the strategies section. Although this is aimed at students going to school, the symptoms and strategies sections might be helpful for homeschooling as well.

DYSGRAPHIA (web link: http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/dysgraphia.html )

"Dysgraphia" is a learning disability resulting from the difficulty in expressing thoughts in writing and graphing. It generally refers to extremely poor handwriting.
Each State has its own criteria which determine if a student has a learning disability as it is defined by special education guidelines. When a student's writing or graphing difficulties are severe enough to meet these criteria, special education services are indicated. Problems arise because "dysgraphia" has no clearly defined criteria. A student with any degree of handwriting difficulty may be labeled "dysgraphic" by some educational specialists, but may or may not need special education services.
Most learning disabled students experience difficulty with handwriting and probably could be considered "dysgraphic". However, the term is seldom used within public schools because of the lack of any generally recognized or measurable criteria.
Underlying Causes
Students with dysgraphia often have sequencing problems. Studies indicate that what usually appears to be a perceptual problem (reversing letters/numbers, writing words backwards, writing letters out of order, and very sloppy handwriting) usually seems to be directly related to sequential/rational information processing. These students often have difficulty with the sequence of letters and words as they write. As a result, the student either needs to slow down in order to write accurately, or experiences extreme difficulty with the "mechanics" of writing (spelling, punctuation, etc.). They also tend to intermix letters and numbers in formulas. Usually they have difficulty even when they do their work more slowly. And by slowing down or getting "stuck" with the details of writing they often lose the thoughts that they are trying to write about.
Students with an attention deficit disorder (especially with hyperactivity) often experience rather significant difficulty with writing and formulas in general and handwriting in particular. This is because ADHD students also have difficulty organizing and sequencing detailed information. In addition, ADHD students are often processing information at a very rapid rate and simply don't have the fine-motor coordination needed to "keep up" with their thoughts.
Some students can also experience writing difficulty because of a general auditory or language processing weakness. Because of their difficulty learning and understanding language in general, they obviously have difficulty with language expression. Recall that written language is the most difficult form of language expression.
Although most students with dysgraphia do not have visual or perceptual processing problems, some students with a visual processing weakness will experience difficulty with writing speed and clarity simply because they aren't able to fully process the visual information as they are placing it on the page.

SYMPTOMS
1. Students may exhibit strong verbal but particularly poor writing skills .
2. Random (or non-existent) punctuation. Spelling errors (sometimes same word spelled differently); reversals; phonic approximations; syllable omissions; errors in common suffixes. Clumsiness and disordering of syntax; an impression of illiteracy. Misinterpretation of questions and questionnaire items. Disordered numbering and written number reversals.
3. Generally illegible writing (despite appropriate time and attention given the task).
4. Inconsistencies : mixtures of print and cursive, upper and lower case, or irregular sizes, shapes, or slant of letters.
5. Unfinished words or letters, omitted words.
6. Inconsistent position on page with respect to lines and margins and inconsistent spaces between words and letters.
7. Cramped or unusual grip, especially holding the writing instrument very close to the paper, or holding thumb over two fingers and writing from the wrist.
8. Talking to self while writing, or carefully watching the hand that is writing.
9. Slow or labored copying or writing - even if it is neat and legible.

STRATEGIES
1. Encourage students to outline their thoughts. It is important to get the main ideas down on paper without having to struggle with the details of spelling, punctuation, etc
2. Have students draw a picture of a thought for each paragraph.
3. Have students dictate their ideas into a tape recorder and then listen and write them down later.
4. Have them practice keyboarding skills. It may be difficult at first, but after they have learned the pattern of the keys, typing will be faster and clearer than handwriting.
5. Have a computer available for them to organize information and check spelling. Even if their keyboarding skills aren't great, a computer can help with the details.
6. Have them continue practicing handwriting. There will be times throughout a student's life that they will need to be able to write things down and maybe even share their handwriting with others. It will continue to improve as long as the student keeps working at it.
7. Encourage student to talk aloud as they write. This may provide valuable auditory feedback.
8. Allow more time for written tasks including note-taking, copying, and tests.
9. Outline the particular demands of the course assignments/continuous assessment; exams, computer literacy etc. so that likely problems can be foreseen.
10. Give and allow students to begin projects or assignments early.
11. Include time in the student's schedule for being a 'library assistant' or 'office assistant' that could also be used for catching up or getting ahead on written work, or doing alternative activities related to the material being learned.
12. Instead of having the student write a complete set of notes, provide a partially completed outline so the student can fill in the details under major headings (or provide the details and have the student provide the headings).
13. Allow the student to dictate some assignments or tests (or parts thereof) a 'scribe'. Train the 'scribe' to write what the student says verbatim and then allow the student to make changes, without assistance from the scribe.
14. Remove 'neatness' or 'spelling' (or both) as grading criteria for some assignments, or design assignments to be evaluated on specific parts of the writing process.
15. With the students, allow abbreviations in some writing (such as b/c for because). Have the student develop a repertoire of abbreviations in a notebook. These will come in handy in future note-taking situations.
16. Reduce copying aspects of work; for example, in Math, provide a worksheet with the problems already on it instead of having the student copy the problems.
17. Separate the writing into stages and then teach students to do the same. Teach the stages of the writing process (brainstorming, drafting, editing, and proofreading, etc.). Consider grading these stages even on some 'one-sitting' written exercises, so that points are awarded on a short essay for brainstorming and a rough draft, as well as the final product.
18. On a computer, the student can produce a rough draft, copy it, and then revise the copy, so that both the rough draft and final product can be evaluated without extra typing.
19. Encourage the student to use a spellchecker and, if possible, have someone else proofread his work, too. Speaking spellcheckers are recommended, especially if the student may not be able to recognize the correct word (headphones are usually included).
20. Allow the student to use cursive or manuscript, whichever is most legible
21. Encourage primary students to use paper with the raised lines to keep writing on the line.
22. Allow older students to use the line width of their choice. Keep in mind that some students use small writing to disguise its messiness or spelling.
23. Allow students to use paper or writing instruments of different colors.
24. Allow student to use graph paper for math, or to turn lined paper sideways, to help with lining up columns of numbers.
25. Allow the student to use the writing instrument that is most comfortable for them.
26. If copying is laborious, allow the student to make some editing marks rather than recopying the whole thing.
27. Consider whether use of speech recognition software will be helpful. If the student and teacher are willing to invest time and effort in 'training' the software to the student's voice and learning to use it, the student can be freed from the motor processes of writing or keyboarding.
28. Develop cooperative writing projects where different students can take on roles such as the 'brainstormer,' 'organizer of information,' 'writer,' 'proofreader,' and 'illustrator.'
29. Provide extra structure and use intermittent deadlines for long-term assignments. Discuss with the student and parents the possibility of enforcing the due dates by working after school with the teacher in the event a deadline arrives and the work is not up-to-date.
30. Build handwriting instruction into the student's schedule. The details and degree of independence will depend on the student's age and attitude, but many students would like to have better handwriting.
31. Keep in mind that handwriting habits are entrenched early. Before engaging in a battle over a student's grip or whether they should be writing in cursive or print, consider whether enforcing a change in habits will eventually make the writing task a lot easier for the student, or whether this is a chance for the student to make his or her own choices. Beware of overload, the student has other tasks and courses.
32. Teach alternative handwriting methods such as "Handwriting Without Tears."
33. Writing just one key word or phrase for each paragraph, and then going back later to fill in the details may be effective.
34. Multisensory techniques should be utilized for teaching both manuscript and cursive writing. The techniques need to be practiced substantially so that the letters are fairly automatic before the student is asked to use these skills to communicate ideas.
35. Have the students use visual graphic organizers. For example, you can create a mind map so that the main idea is placed in a circle in the center of the page and supporting facts are written on lines coming out of the main circle, similar to the arms of a spider or spokes on a wheel.
36. Do papers and assignments in a logical step-wise sequence. An easy way to remember these steps is to think of the word POWER.
P - plan your paper
O - organize your thoughts and ideas
W - write your draft
E - edit your work
R - revise your work, producing a final draft
37. If a student becomes fatigued have them try the following:
* Shake hands fast, but not violently.
* Rub hands together and focus on the feeling of warmth.
* Rub hands on the carpet in circles (or, if wearing clothing with some mild texture, rub hands on thighs, close to knees)
* Use the thumb of the dominant hand to click the top of a ballpoint pen while holding it in that hand. Repeat using the index finger.
* Perform sitting pushups by placing each palm on the chair with fingers facing forward. Students push down on their hands, lifting their body slightly off the chair.
38. Allow student to tape record important assignments and/or take oral tests.
39. Prioritize certain task components during a complex activity. For example, students can focus on using descriptive words in one assignment, and in another, focus on using compound sentences.
40. Reinforce the positive aspects of student's efforts.
41. Be patient and encourage student to be patient with himself.
Strategies For Spelling Difficulties:
1. Encourage consistent use of spell checker to decrease the overall demands of the writing task and encourage students to wait until the end to worry about spelling.
2. Encourage use of an electronic resource such as the spell check component in a Franklin Language Master® to further decrease the demands. If student has concurrent reading problems, a Language Master® with a speaking component is most helpful because it will read/say the words.
3. Have the student look at each word, then close their eyes and visualize how it looks, letter by letter.
4. Have the student spell each word out loud while looking at it, then look away and spell it out loud again several times before writing it down.
5. Have the students break the spelling list down into manageable sections of only 3 to 5 words. Then take a break after mastering each section.
6. Have a scrabble board and computer accessible for affected students.

Dysgraphia does not have to limit creativity, as identified by the sample below composed on a computer by a 12-year-old dyslexic and dysgraphic student.
a) First draft of creative story as typed by 12-year-old student:
the way I descride a bumby ride is like wothgan mowtsarts mowsek. eshe bumby rowd is like a song. Eshe bumb is the a note eche uncon at the sam time ste is. that was the mewstere to mowts mowsuk it was vare metereus and unperdekdable.So the next time you drive down a bumby theak of mowtsart.
b) Same story. Student read to teacher using his draft:
"The way I describe a bumpy ride is like Wolfgang Mozart's music. Each bumpy road is like a song. Each bump in the road is a note. Each bump is uncontrolled at the same time it still is controlled. That was the magic to Mozart's music. It was very mysterious and unpredictable. So the next time you drive down a bumpy road think of Mozart."

Link to new site

2006-03-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note - I added a link to a new web site called special kids. It's the international children and parenting site, still under construction, but just having glanced at it tonight, it looks great! Having my teen daughter available at this moment I think(!) I learned how to add links to this blog! How's that for progress!! Happy linking!

Make It Fit The Child

2006-03-15T20:16:00.000-08:00

Something that I read struck a chord regarding teaching "gifted" children, from an article in Home Education Magazine, March/April, 1991, that "there is no way that any curriculum can meet the needs of all children. The beauty of home schooling is that every parent and child can work out a tailor-made program that suits their needs and interests." And also from Ruth Beechick's book, "You Can Teach Your Chid Successfully", "For some children and for some of the time, certain books will happen to be just right. But if you find yourself struggling to mold your child to a book, try reversing priorities...Bend the book or find another; make the studies fit the child."
It is easy to say this and log off! But actually where does one begin when nothing seems to work? As Winston Churchill has been quoted to say, "Never give up! Never give in!" Keep trying! Hopefully we can cover different ideas and methods to teach reading, spelling, math, etc. And some moms, dads, and teachers can share with us some tried and proven tips that have worked with their children and students! We long to hear from you! We long to see you! As this is all new to me - ha - if you can post your pictures please go ahead, but if not send them in and I will post them! This is a work in progress and my teen daughter who could tell me all this info in a matter of seconds isn't available at the moment! So let's begin.......hope to hear from you soon. Bye for now.

Dedicated with Love

2006-03-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

This Blog is dedicated to you parents and teachers of Special Needs Children.
We pray this will be a blessing and a help to you .

-Joy, for the East FED