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Willa
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| Posted: Feb 15 2007 at 11:28am | IP Logged
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My seven year old has been using Handwriting without Tears for about three years now. He's been receiving occupational therapy forever, almost. I like HWT so much I use it with my other kids and the OT is very good.
Aidan has known his letters by sight since he was about 4 and known the sounds of the letters for about a year now.
HOWEVER -- he finds it close to impossible to actually write a letter, even copying from a model. The only letter he can write freehand is a capital A.
I just made a cornmeal tray for him wondering if the problem was the control of his hand and if larger and more textured might help. However, as I watch him I think the difficulty is more with the motor planning -- in other words, convincing his brain to reproduce what he is seeing or thinking. For example, for a D he wrote two lines next to each other and then a sort of circle.
He can trace -- sort of. This is where I see that the problem isn't exactly fine motor per se.
Does this sound familiar to anyone; any solutions? Just time??
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AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Willa
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I talked to Aidan's OT about the problem and she says that yes, it's probably a praxis (motor planning) issue. She had a couple of suggestions that I'll try to post about when I have more time. But still, any parental advice would be welcome! 
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AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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mom3aut1not
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| Posted: Feb 15 2007 at 4:21pm | IP Logged
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Willa,
I'm sorry I don't have any good ideas. However, it could be worse; I think Joseph has a praxis issue with bm's, and I am not sure how to get him potty-trained.
In Christ,
Deborah
who is grateful that her other kids didn't have this problem....
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Willa
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Oh dear, Deborah, we dealt with this for some time. Aidan finally mastered that aspect just last year around the same time his little brother did. Of course, I don't know if praxis was the issue; it might have been sensory. At any rate it was very frustrating.
Anyway, what the OT suggested was a shape frame. She thought it was best to start with his name (the fact that he can do A's suggests that personal things give him more meaning and that helps him process better) and so she cut out a frame with the shapes of the letters in his name. Hard to describe, but I saw something similar in Seton's first grade spelling book back when we used Seton.
Sort of like a stencil but not the shapes of the letters, just quadrilaterals to fit their general profile. Oh my, I am having some difficulties with language praxis myself. I can't even find it on Google.
Unfortunately I don't think that helps with the toilet training!
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Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
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Taffy
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Willa, I'm afraid I have no ideas for the handwriting problem - none of my children have this issue. But I like your ideas, they're definitely worth a shot!
Deborah, I'm sure you've heard this before but I'll mention it anyway, my oldest had problems with potty training for BMs due to a lack of control. He was suffering chronic diarrhea and I think that it interfered with his ability to control things. Literally, within 2 weeks of removing gluten from his diet, he was potty trained for BMs. We think this was mostly due to the fact that it helped normalize the BMs. But, it could be that the gluten was irritating the intestinal lining, period. Maybe it's worth a try to have your little guy on a rotation diet? And, again, I'm sorry if you've heard this kind of thing a million times already. 
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Susan
Mom to 5 on earth and 1 in heaven
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mom3aut1not
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| Posted: Feb 19 2007 at 7:34pm | IP Logged
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Taffy,
Thanks for the idea. Joseph doesn't really fit that profile as far as I can tell. His problem seems to stem from two things: 1) He doesn't seem to be able to know when a bm specificly is coming, and 2) he doesn't seem to understand how to push something out of an area he can't see. Urination is fine because he can see his penis, but he can't see his bottom. I am planning to talk to an OT about this. (His sister had a similar problem with swimming and pedalling a bike. She had to be able to see the body part in question in order to be able to move it.)
I really appreciate the tone of your post, Taffy. I don't know how many times I have been told things about my autistic kids with an authoritative manner and without any allowance for differing experiences. It annoys me -- especially when someone won't agree to disagree. One person I know bugged me for years (or so it seemed) about vaccinations and unschooling. She kept telling that I should be less structured, and my kids would just "pick up" what they needed to know a few years later than most. That may be true for some kids, but not for many kids on the spectrum. My autistic brother is living proof of that. I just wanted you to know that whether or not I pursue any dietary changes, I appreciate the tact with which you posted.
In Christ,
Deborah
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4Real Forums : Special Blessings
Topic: Children & Handwriting
