Visual processing affects all subject areas but specifically reading, reading comprehension, and math. With this simple evaluation you can determine if your child has a significant visual processing issue. If you find that your child is deficient in visual processing, activities and software is suggested at the end of this article.

 

This evaluation will require you to write out digits (letters and numbers) on 3x5 cards before you begin. You will need 30 cards.  If your child is not familiar with letters and numbers, you may start by using pictures of objects.  Write a set of 3 digits on a card, use fairly large lettering and space the digits apart across the card as best as you can, (see example below.) Make a set of 5 cards for each level, ie. 5 cards with 3 digits, 5 cards with 4 digits, 5 cards with 5 digits, and so on.

 

Of course, as the number of digits increases, the size and spacing will decrease, that is fine. These cards can be used later to instruct and work with the child to improve their visual processing.

 

The child (or adult, if you are testing yourself) is not supposed to use any mnemonic device such as clustering (like a phone number or 2 or 3 digit number – ie 29), putting to music, attaching to a known word, number, or picture, or any other memory tricks we use to remember things. Using these methods are tricks and devices and do not accurately identify the person’s processing ability.

 

T  4  9

 

Recording responses

When the child reaches instructional level stop, this will be the instructional level used when remediating using digit spans.

 

Visual Processing

Level at which the child missed 0-1  _____ digits   Ability Level

Level at which the child missed 2-3  _____ digits    Instructional Level

Level at which the child missed 4-5  _____ digits    Frustration Level

 

What does this information tell me?

The number of digits the child functions at identifies the processing ability. The processing ability indicates the level of learning the child can attain. For example: a typical 3 year old should be able to process 3 pieces of information sequentially, a four year old, 4 pieces, and a 5 year old, 5 pieces. It is important to note that a child can not functionally learn to read without being able to accurately recall 5 pieces of visual information. 

It is important to reach a level that is functional for the child. If your child is 5 years old you want the child to function at a level 5 digit span. If your child is over 8 then work toward 8 digits. You may go higher than 8 as well.

 

Interventions for Visual processing:

Brain Age for Nintendo DS  www.brainage.com
This game is a bit more advanced and is great for ages 8 to adult (depending on ability level, must be able to read.) Video games improve certain aspects of visual processing. They enhance finding objects in clutter, figure ground discrimination, tracking, visual perception, and subitizing (ability to identify the number of multiple items quickly). However, they do not enhance visual sequence recall unless that is what they are designed to do such as games like brain age.

Digit Spans  -  develop a set of cards with pictures, letters and numbers,  or words starting at the instructional level. I suggest at least 10 sets of digits for each level so that after daily review, the sets will not be easily memorized. Review the digits spans for 3-5 minutes several times a day. Making it a game is always more fun. Try letting your child ‘test’ you on the digit spans and work on improving your processing.

 

Here is an article by James D. MacDonald, Ph.D./CCC of Communicating Partners.

This is a very interesting insight and he has granted us permission to reprint it on our blog.

Hi all, I am on a strange sleep cycle so this came to me tonight. Many
parents want their child to learn and perform facts, to get ready for
school. Many programs for autism and other late talking conditions focus on
teaching facts and skills thinking that 'cognition'--or 'knowing things'
comes first. Parents often seem more interested in their child knowing the
colors and numbers than in taking turns and playing and communicating with
sounds. Being social seems less important than knowing things for school.
This memo asks which comes first cognition or social life?

As you may know Communicating Partners focuses on getting a child social
before getting him ready for school. I hope this will help clarify why we do
that.

QUESTION. Which comes first cognitive learning or social learning?

We have been told that our son Sean, needed to be trained to learn
cognitive skills like numbers and colors for school and to reduce his
"autistic" habits and become compliant before he will be come social and
communicative.

Why does Communicating Partners begin by helping a child become social
first?

Answer:

There are many heavier answers to this question , but sometimes a
light one is the strongest. We begin by helping a child become social
because it is the most enjoyable thing to do with a child. We and you get
something personal and intimate when we get a child to "see" us and really
respond and care. So , if enjoying your child and finding ways for him or
her to enjoy you is at all important, then getting your child social is
just a lot more fun than teaching him for school.

And,now my more serious but less exciting answers:

First, because that is the way child develop and learn. Most scholars in
child development agree that the key to learning in daily life is by
socially interacting with people the child is attached with and who act and
communicate in ways the child can do. In fact it is now evident that a child
will learn more of what he needs to be included in the social world from
frequent daily interactions spontaneously than he will from intensive
drilling on facts and skills for school. Making a child a successful
student does not make him less autistic in real life and less isolated from
society. Early and intensive social relationships are needed for that.

A second critical reason to begin by helping a child be spontaneously social
is that the more directive and intensive academic and compliance approaches
can have the effect of discouraging the child from being social and learning
what he needs at the natural movement. Such a child can easily become
dependent on his teacher or trainer and not learn how to socially learn on
his own. Then he becomes a student who knows what others think he should
learn but he does not learn what he needs to effectively navigate his own
interpersonal world. I know children with autism who perform, and answer
very well but are at a loss in daily interactions where his real life
learning must take place.

A third reason for our focus of social learning first is that we and others
have been very successful with many children and families in reducing the
time that children are isolated from society. Both our research findings and
our clinical reports from families show that many children with autism can
become social when their families enter the child's world responsively and
nurture who they are becoming rather than distrusting their social potential
and trying to make them into compliant students learning a set curriculum
rather than an individualized life.

A fourth reason for our focus on social learning first is that it is
something that anyone in the child's life can do. Treatment is no longer
limited to trained and paid persons, but is available to anyone interacting
daily with the child. Children clearly can learn in every interaction if it
involves two features: one, something the child can do, and something the
child is internally motivated to do, and three, something the child can use
in daily life.

A fifth reason is that ,contrary to the belief and practice of many, most
children diagnosed on the autism spectrum can become much more social and
genuinely communicative than they are. Observation of many children with
autism reveals that very little attention is usually given to seeing if ,
indeed, the child can socialize with persons who actually enter his world
of sensation and action.

James D. MacDonald, Ph.D./CCC
Communicating Partners
website: www.jamesdmacdonald.org
(614) 447-0768

This is an absolutely incredible interview with Rick Warren , "Purpose Driven Life " author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .  His wife now has cancer, and he now has "wealth" from the book sales.
 
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

Thank you so much for your prayers!

 

I am doing much better, the infection is going away and I am no longer having a fever. I think I can actually get back to some daily routine!

 

Blessings,

Christie

YOU SENT A TESTIMONIAL!

 

I went to my inbox, finally able to work and prepared to send out all those free ebooks I offered! Ack!!! ATT deleted all of the emails that you sent! They have a new policy that they delete everything after 30 days!

 

Please resend your testimonies so I can send you your free e-book and if you haven't sent us a testimony and still want to take advantage of this offer, please send us your testimony on how our ministry has helped you!

 

Blessings,

Christie

I have an infection and we are having to clean the incisions three times a day. Please keep us in prayer.

I had surgery last week and am doing pretty well. Very sore, but pretty good! Thank you for all of your prayers!

Hi everyone,

 

I received a call from my mom recently. She is having some physical and other issues. I offered to come up to get her so she could move down here with us and she agreed! To many people this would be a simple offer. But for our home this means that our small 3 bdrm home with an additional room built in the garage is going to be overflowing. Currently we have our 2 children (one living at college part time and here part time), our newest 'daughter', and Grandpa (hubby's dad) all living in our little humble home. So inviting another person into our already crowded home was probably a nutty thing to do. But, I have always told my parents that we would be there if they needed and our home is always open.

 

Hubby and I drove to West Virginia to pick up Grandma and as much of her stuff as possible. She lives in a motor home and she and I drove it back to North Alabama for her to stay here.

 

The family has had to adjust and with God's help is doing pretty well. It has been a wonderful opportunity to teach my children about the first commandment with promise. Sometimes it isn't enough just to teach about it, sometimes you have to teach with examples and put the teaching into practice. I know with teens they begin to think themselves more important than others and loose sight of putting others before ourselves and the fact that we need to honor our parents even when it isn't convenient or fun.

 

Take time to honor your parents, teach your children by example.

Hi everyone,

 

I will be having surgery in October so will be a bit out of pocket for awhile! It is a somewhat serious surgery... I have back issues and need to have a surgery to help it. I will try to keep everyone updated as I can.

 

We need your help! We are updating our websites and would like to tell others how we have helped you! Send us your testimony and we will send you the Free E-book Learning Styles and Interests!  

 

Learning Styles and Interests is a $15.00 value, FREE! This is a great resource for those just starting out as well as for seasoned home educators! This book provides information on learning styles, personality, talents, gifts and abilities and their effect on how our children learn! Includes worksheets and questionnaires to use with your children to find out how they learn best and what their interests are.

 

Just send us your testimonies of how we helped you to cberry@onefaithmin.org and we will reply with a link to a copy of this E-book for you to download onto your computer to read or print!

By Christie Berry, Ed.D.
www.christieberry.com

 

Audio books are an excellent resource for educators.  When used with learners, audio books can help improve cognitive ability, language acquisition, and auditory processing.  Books on tape increase interest and motivation in reading and expand interest in new genres.  Using verbatim, or unabridged recorded books can provide accessibility to content area reading such as history, math word problems, literature, and science as well as to reading in general for special needs students when they are used in methods appropriate to the individual needs of the child.

 

Listening to unabridged audio books while following along in the book improves language skills, auditory processing, and contributes to an increase in overall cognitive abilities.  Recorded books help a student distinguish between written and spoken language and helps establish a link between them.  The world of reading opens up to many students who discover this link or connection.  Understanding the connection between the symbol on the page and the sound is a key to unlocking language arts.  Once unlocked, improvement in content area understanding, imagination, pronunci ation and inflection, sentence structure, reading levels, vocabulary, and writing skills are consistently evident. 

 

When a child hears the text dramatized by the reader, the result is a deep emotional reaction and involvement with the story.  This relationship with the written word helps to develop emotional maturation and improved development of life skills.  Better character identification allows students to enter imaginatively and empathetically into the experience of others, thereby developing abilities to decode and understand moral behavior, problem-solving and building relationships.  Recorded books allow students to hear language, participate cog nitively with the story, and create mental pictures of the spoken and read word.  Books become a source of comfort, rather than distress, as reading becomes easier and leads to greater confidence and knowledge.  As a result, communication skills, listening skills, and language development improve.

 

In a study by Boyle, Rosenberg, et al., they provide quantitative research that investigated the impact of audio textbooks on the learning of students with mild disabilities in grades 9-12.  The results were that the students who used the audio books outperformed peers reading traditional textbooks on an outcome based evaluation.¹  Hence, the use of audio books provides an increase in overall language and thinking skills as well as many other benefits.

 

Using audio books while reading along helps create a multi-sensory reading experience that encourages and improves reading ability, vocabulary, and fluency.  Listening to language is an essential ingredient in building vocabulary, increasing reading fluency through modeling, and stimulating the imagination, as well as introducing story telling.  By increasing language skills, books on tape make reading accessible and more appealing.  Students that have been intimidated by reading can now enjoy the written word. 

 

The use of audio books helps to increase the variety of the student’s interest.  Reading along with an audio book can peak the interest in reluctant readers, improve interest in reading and motivate delayed readers as well as include them in content area reading.   Although not as good as parents reading to students as they read along, audio books provide a key component to listening and providing students with a read-along experience that sparks the interested in the listener/reader.  Most of the reluctant or poor readers that had little to no motivation, due to their deficiency, have shown an increas e in interest and motivation.  Audio books also provide involvement in content area reading for those students that would not be able to maintain the level of reading involvement necessary in a text book.  In the second part of an article written by Chenfeld and Haley, Haley shows how using tools that work for special needs students, specifically books on tape not only benefit the special needs students but also benefit "regular" students by improving interest, motivation, and improved test scores in content area reading.²

 

Regardless of individual students' learning abilities, emotional maturity, social backgrounds or interests, audio books can create an atmosphere which fosters a collective experience for the listeners.  Recorded books go beyond different learning styles and levels, promoting total participation of a group in follow-up discussions, activities, and writing assignments.  Students sharing their thoughts and responses to the audio book can add to each other's understanding, leading to an appreciation of other’s viewpoints.  Additionally, unabrid ged audio books can:

 

·                introduce students to books above their reading level;

·                model good interpretive reading to improve thinking skills;

·                teach critical listening skills;

·                introduce new genres that students might not otherwise consider;

·                introduce new vocabulary, proper names, and locales;

·                expose students to unfamiliar dialects, accents, Old English, and old fashioned literary styles;

·                provide a read-aloud model³

 

There's no better tool than audio books for children with special needs.  Pronunciations, speech patterns, image correlation, and content comprehension are greatly improved by hearing at the same time as reading.  Special needs students are excited to hear their first books - often understanding for the first time the joy of books.  At the same time they are gaining a quick understanding of plot, main idea, setting, and they subconsciously understand narrative structure.  Audio books provide you with an additional, cutting-edge language arts tool to stimulate improved comprehension regardless of differ ent learning styles and individual needs or abilities. 

 

Research shows that students with specific learning disabilities, such as Dyslexia, show greater improvement when using unabridged audio recordings while reading printed texts.  Torgesen, et al.,⁴ compared the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities reading printed texts with or without verbatim audio recordings.  Reading comprehension was greater for students using the audio recordings.  Additional research by Hecker, et al.,⁵ indicates that post-secondary students with attention disorders took re ading rate and comprehension tests with and without the use of audio books and other reading software that reads the book verbatim and highlights the words as it reads.  Results suggest that some students, specifically those with poor baseline reading skills, may read faster and comprehend better when using audio books or the software. 

 

For students who find reading books problematic or students who are not fluent in English, audio books allow exposure to text through aural interpretation and aural/visual connection.  Low-functioning students often comprehend more easily by "reading with their ears" than struggling to decode text alone.  Audio books offer the competent and avid reader, or gifted students, individualized learning opportunities and expand the volume of their reading.

 

There are many ways to use unabridged recorded books.  To use audio books to expose the listener/reader to new material, genres, vocabulary, fluency modeling, or specific content area information, allow the child to listen to the recorded book as often as possible.  It is not necessary to use the written text for the outcomes listed above.  To use books on tape to improve reading, language development, to access the printed word, and improve comprehension of written text, have the child read along with the verbatim recording.  A chapter or two each day will provide the frequency, intensity and duration necessary to improve reading skills.  It will be beneficial to use a place card or book mark to hold under the line being read or a word card to move along to highlight the word being read.  A word card can be made easily by cutting a notch on the edge of the place card or book mark that will frame the word as the child moves the card along with the recording.  A word card highlights the word being read and blocks out the other words to limit confusion, identify the specific word being read, and creates a relationship between the spoken and written word.  Following along pointing to each word with a finger also provides a ‘highlighting’ effect. 

 

Another option for audio books is to download e-books and use a text reader.  Most computers have Microsoft’s text reader or you can download it from the internet.  One of the best free text readers is Read Please a free online download that allows you to adjust the reading speed as well as the sound of the voice that is reading.  The program highlights the word being read and provides the multi-sensory application necessary for print/word connection.  There are also talking-books for the computer or Children’s Storybooks Online that provide a wonderful option for click-a-word talking books.

 

However audio books are used they are an added bonus to the reading experience and improve learning, reading, language, understanding, interest, vocabulary, behavior, relationship, story telling, motivation, emotional development, fluency, comprehension… and the list goes on and on.  Of course, reading aloud with each other is the best way to share the reading experience; recorded books provide an alternative and allow the listeners to immerse themselves in the story without stumbling over the reading process itself.  Verbatim, or unabridged recordings, are a must when reading along and give a wonderful source of a multi-sensory intervention not only for special learners, but all learners .  Above all, keep reading with your ears!

 

Resources:

G.  A.  Henty books on tape (Historical Novels)

www.hentybooksontape.com

 

Blackstone Audiobooks

www.blackstoneaudio.com

 

Books on Tape

www.booksontape.com

 

Recorded Books

www.recordedbooks.com

 

Downloadable Audiobooks

www.audiobooksdownload.com

 

Simply Audiobooks

www.simplyaudiobooks.com

Read Please text reader

www.readplease.com

 

Children’s Storybooks Online

www.magickeys.com/books/

 

Free Books

www.free-books.org

 

University of Virginia E-Text Library

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks/

 

Children’s Ebooks

www.domokos.com/freeebooks.html

 

Notes:

¹Boyle, E.  A., Rosenberg, M.  S., Connelly, V.  J., Washburn, S.  G., Brinckerhoff, L.  C., & Banerjee, M.  (2003).  Effects of audio texts on the acquisition of secondary-level content by students with mild disabilities.  Learning Disability Quarterly, 26(3), 203-214. 

     ²Chenfeld, M.B., Haley, V.  C. (2005).  Letter Writing and Book Listening: Advice from Special Education Teachers.  Voices from the Middle, 12(4), 21-24.

³Johnson, Denise (2003), Audiobooks: Ear-resistable! Reading Online, International Reading Association, 6(8) available at www.readingonline.org

⁴Torgesen, J.  K., Dahlem, W.  E., & Greenstein, J.  (1987).  Using verbatim text recordings to enhance reading comprehension in learning disabled adolescents.  Learning Disabilities Focus, 3(1), 30-38. 

⁵Hecker, L., Burns, L., & Elkind, J.  (2002).  Benefits of assistive reading software for students with attention disorders.  Annals of Dyslexia, 52, 243-272. 

Baskin, B., & Harris, K.  (1995). Heard any good books lately? The case for audiobooks in the secondary classroom.  Journal of Reading, 38(5), 372-376.

 

I’ll be at the state mega conference in Mobile, AL July 10-14 and would love to visit with families in the area. If you are in the Mobile area and would like to visit with me, I can be available Thursday evening, 7:00-9:00 pm. at Praise Christian School, 2605 Dawes Rd., Mobile, AL. However, there must be email response by Wednesday, July 12^th for me to consider this opportunity.

director@vastnetwork.org

 

If there is no response of attendance by email, I will understand that most of us are busy during this time of year and I will stay at the hotel, read my book, and rest! J

 

I am looking forward to seeing everyone!

 

Blessings,

Christie Berry, Ed. D.

Hey, ya'll! I'll be in Birmingham, AL July 7-8th at the Chef of Alabama Home School Convention! My good friend, Cathy Jaime, will be with me, too!

 

We will be teaching workshops at our booth space both days! Here is a schedule of our workshops for Friday and Saturday:

 

Friday:

9-10    Making and Using Unit Studies w/ Cathy

10:15-11:15   Home Made Games for Learning w/Christie

2:45-3:45   Winning the Heart of Your Child w/Christie

4-5   Surviving the Schooling of Several Siblings w/Cathy

 

Saturday:

9:15-10:15   Teaching Children with Attention Problems Pt. 1 w/Christie

10:30-11:30   Teaching Children with Attention Problems Pt. 2 w/Christie

1:45-2:45  Enjoying Teaching Teens, Not Just Surviving Them w/Cathy

3-4   Sharing Shakespeare with Students w/Cathy

 

 

I will be teaching Saturday 3-4 in another room on

Fidget vs Focus: Sensory Integration

 

I am looking forward to seeing ya'll!

 

Blessings,

Christie

 

 

Hey! Another month closer to summer break!

 

Here's a reprint of an article I wrote last year to get ready for summer! Enjoy!

 

 

Summer and Holiday Learning

 

Don’t let your children loose the skills they have learned through the year during their holiday and summer breaks! Follow these habits through the summer a few minutes a day to keep those skills going and give the children a boost for the upcoming school year!    

 

Math 
Instant recall of basic math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division) keeps math easy and fun.

§  Practice math drills daily.

§  Review math facts several times a day.

§  Oral drills in the car or at the pool while they play are best.

§  Print up practice sheets. You can make them with free software from Basic Facts Worksheet Factory: http://www.schoolhousetech.com/products/download.htm

§  Use computer games

§  Play dice or dominoes

§  Have the kids help at the grocery store to find the best deal or the cost of several items.

§  Let them keep the money from a yard sale or other sales activities (lemonaid stands are great!)

§  Help them start a small summer business.

 

 

Reading and Memory
Practice reading daily and use memory verses to keep memories sharp. Most Libraries have a summer reading program, get involved!

§  Daily Bible Reading.

§  Share Bible memory verses each day at meal times.

§  Read good poetry or hymns.

§  Memorize poems or hymns.

§  Read aloud daily.

§  Play reading games with letter dice or sight words

§  Read to siblings.

§  Read to your children for family time and discuss what you read.

 

 

Vocabulary & Spelling

Work on new vocabulary/spelling words daily. Create a Word Wall or Word Bank to write new words on to review daily through the break.

§  Learn a new vocabulary/spelling word every day.

§  Read the word, then pronounce and spell it together.

§  Write it in your word bank (on the wall).

§  Define the new word and use it in a sentence.

§  Review the new words daily.

§  Play Scrabble or Word Boggle

§  Use new words in crossword puzzles or word searches that can be made with free software with Word Search Factory Lite:

http://www.schoolhousetech.com/products/download.htm

§  For vocabulary words check out these sites on the internet:

http://gemini.es.brevard.k12.fl.us/sheppard/reading/dolch.html

http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/bl1000_list1.htm
http://www.freevocabulary.com.
http://www.uoregon.edu/~osmirnov/gre/list.html

  

 

Writing

Keep up the work on those notebooks, journals and scrap books!

§  Have your child to write in their journal or notebook every day.

§  Have him write a report on an interesting book or something learned, he can read it in the evening at dinner or family time.

§  Find a distant family member or pen pal to write letters to.

§  Make home made books.

 

   

Science and Social Studies

§  Have globes, maps, and time-lines available for viewing at all times.

§  Let children follow in a road atlas when you travel.

§  Have them map the route you will be taking on a trip.

§  Locate places that you encounter on your trip, in your reading,
   or in the news. 

§  Visit local museums

§  Plant a garden or visit some

§  Study the stars/constellations

 

The ideas are limitless! Keep learning through the year. Let the children help you find new ways to keep learning through the breaks! And most of all, Have Fun!!!

 

 

OVERCOMING HANDWRITING ‘WHOAS’!

 

There was a time when I bought into the whole ‘don’t make ‘em do it if they don’t want to’ philosophy. My son Ricky is a youngster that wouldn’t do a thing unless I made it a game or an otherwise ‘fun’ activity. Of course, fun being a relative term, my ideas of fun ended up in the ‘don’t make ‘em do it’ category. This made home educating him a HUGE challenge!

 

The other day I was talking to a friend about her son’s resistance to handwriting. I find that this resistance is prevalent in many children and is not centered only in children with disabilities. I told this perplexed mom that I had been right where she is with my son and began to share with her about the strategies that she could use to help her son overcome his resistance to writing. As we talked I realized that it is as much an opportunity for character training as it is an exercise in handwriting!

 

I thought of the stories in the Bible that talk of those who persisted in reaching a goal no matter the difficulty: the woman with the issue of blood that had to push through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment; the young men that went so far as to tear up the roof of the house to find healing for their friend; Paul’s perseverance for the cause of Christ. How will a child ever learn to persevere when things are difficult, if he is never taught how? How can he learn we must to do things that we just don’t enjoy doing? Resistance is not just a learning issue, it is an issue of the heart. Perseverance is a character strength that is necessary to further the work God has planned. As you learn the steps to improve handwriting, remember, this is not just handwriting but a lesson in perseverance.

 

Below are some strategies that may help you encourage your reluctant writer and improve handwriting skills. Using copy work as your basis for handwriting, you will help improve time on task, hand strengthening and stamina, correct pencil grip, letter formation, and last, but probably the most important, perseverance.

 

1. Copy work

 

Copy work is one of the most important activities your child can do. It helps them identify important pieces of information, piques interest and improves handwriting while teaching perseverance. A strategy one might use for those very reluctant writers is to start a notebook that holds all of the copy work that 

is done. You can use any type of notebook system; spiral bound notebook, journal, three ring binder with document protectors (my personal favorite), or any other system you find that fits your child’s personal style.

 

Once you have chosen a notebook method, choose a topic that is interesting to the child. It is even better if the child can choose the topic himself, as it will promote interest and encourage the handwriting process. You may want to choose a Bible passage or a line from a favorite book. You, or the child, will select the length of the copy work depending on the age of the child and their resistance to writing. Copy work can be done as early as kindergarten or first grade, or as soon as the child learns letter formation. For younger or more resistant writers one or two sentences will be sufficient to start. One sentence may be easy for us, but will seem impossible to a child that is resistant to writing.

 

Finally, pick up a timer from the store. We use an LCD timer that can be restarted for the same amount of time without re-entering the time. You will probably have to let your child spend a week playing with it before he will actually use it. But once the newness wears off, it will be a very useful tool for copy work! Using the timer is easy. For young or reluctant writers set it for 5 minutes. It is not as important how much is done during the 5 minutes as it is that the child works diligently and does his best work. Give him a cheat sheet so he can be sure of proper letter formation. Don’t let the child use a pen as it doesn’t allow for corrections without having to start all over. Starting over may cause frustration. Each day, praise his efforts and put the work in his notebook (or let him write in the journal a new page each day.) Don’t write multiple entries on the same page, you want to encourage the child by letting him see that his fluency and letter formation is getting better over time. After a week of writing go back through the notebook with your child and praise him on his efforts and improvement (no matter how small). The next week, use the timer again increasing the time to about 8 minutes. Continue to increase the time each week until the child writes easily for 15-20 minutes without complaint. This will improve stamina, hand strength, and perseverance.

 

2. Physiology of Writing

 

Another important part of writing is the positioning of hand and paper. The proper grip of the pencil is called the tripod position. The pencil should rest on the side of the middle finger near the first knuckle while the pointer finger and thumb grip the pencil with their tips. The hand should rest relaxed on its side 

while holding the pencil to the paper. The pencil should stick up at an angle about forty-five degrees from the hand. It may be necessary to pick up a good positioning pencil grip. Hand stress is prominent when hand position is not correct. There are also three sided pencils that can be used. Smaller hands need smaller pencils and larger spaces to write on. Use a wider rule and over time decrease the rule width to the appropriate width for your child.

 

Paper position is also important. For right handed children, position the top of the paper at a slant to the left so the edge of the paper is parallel to the resting arm. The arm and hand should be straight. For left handed writers, there are two ways that are taught for positioning. The first one is the exact opposite of that for the right handed child. The other is to position the top of the paper at a slant to the left and bend the wrist around to see what is written, writing in an upside down manner. Either is correct.

 

Another benefit for your reluctant writer is hand strengthening exercises. You can use clay or a stress ball to strengthen the hand by having the child squeeze the clay with the whole hand and with the writing thumb and fingers. This exercise increases strength and stamina as well as isolating the specific muscles that need to function together in the handwriting process. Stringing beads, hand sewing and other fine motor and eye-hand coordination activities will also help improve handwriting.

 

3. Style

 

One of my many soap box issues (and I have many) is changing handwriting styles after 3 years of instruction! Our culture teaches manuscript in grades K-3 and then changes mid-stream and teaches cursive and expects our children to become fluent hand-writers. Unfortunately, for most of our children, this is a difficult transition at best. The experts are now seeing this is a terrible problem for our typical children, let alone our children with learning issues. Whether you start with printing, D’Nealian, calligraphy, italics, or cursive, don’t change mid stream. You might consider working on traditional cursive as a print style and later teach the child to connect the letters. If you have an older child that has already learned to print, teach him to sign his name in cursive and allow him do everything else in print. Encourage neat printing during the writing time. If the child wants to learn cursive or calligraphy later, then use the same technique and teach him cursive or calligraphy. You may choose to start with italics and use it for the entire school career. If you are starting with a young child a good 

place to start handwriting skills is with large muscle movement drawing letters in the air with arms and hands. Gradually move to smaller and smaller formation of letters such as drawing letters with hands and fingers in sand, paint or pudding. Finally, move to large single letters on a regular size piece of paper with a pencil or crayon (no lines), then to primary lined paper (with raised lines if necessary) and eventually to regular lined paper.

 

BHF Fluent Handwriting is a handwriting program available that starts with detached lettering in a cursive type style and then moves to an attached lettering using the same letters taught in the detached style. It comes on CD-ROM that allows you to print pages for practice or add your own text for printing copy work. Some of the lettering is a bit odd, but a wonderful program to use. We are using basic cursive for the print without connecting and will learn to connect the letters later. This has been time consuming, as basic cursive is not on the computer, but it has been well worth the time and effort involved for our youngest child.<