[senco-forum] Reversals getting worse

Dear All

Just a few thoughts:
Practice writting with arms (large letters in the air) and then fingers
(direct into sand or steamed-up windows...a mirror that he blows on first
before writing on makes it extra fun). Writing with pencils of different
sizes, and painting with different sized brushes...eg going from chunky to
fine and back again to rehearse fine-motor skills. Chunky pens and writing
on the white-board; using other designs to practice eg simple face
pictures with smiles/grins/grimaces etc (sidetracks away from letter
perfection, but uses similar princples); Letterland to create more of an
image to letters...P becomes Poor Peter not just a squiggle. Give letters
'faces/eyes etc' so that they 'look over to the window' on his
right/across page to the blank spaces/ie all look 'forward'.

I'm sure you know a lot about this already, so I'm just writing things
that come to mind in case there's a snippet of a good idea in there...

Performing activities with eyes closed helps to focus on
movement...dyspraxia, affecting kinaesthetic memory as it does, means that
physical movements take longer to become established/habitual, and an
incorrect habit (eg writing 7 reversed), often has to be unlearnt as well
as new input going in. Therefore, performing activities like writing with
eyes closed can help focus mind on events going on in the
fingers/hand/arm...it's also fun, and can be undertaken by whole class to
help with spellings, learning new terminology etc.

The knieasthetic memory involved with remembering how to enunciate one
sentence is incredible!! No wonder those with dyspraxia often struggle
with enunciation of sounds/letters/words as the process centres on
muscular movements within the voice box/throat/mouth. Enunciation of
others sounds can help to practice skills...anything that helps child be
actively involved with making different sounds. Of particular interest
letter-wise are sounds such as 'th' where the changing teeth/loss of front
teeth/growing of new ones requires brain to adapt to ever-changing
situation. A small hand-mirror so child can see itself making movements
helps tp establish letter-sounds more effectively than copying someone
else's movements...speech therapists have plenty of knowledge in this
area...I'm assuming you have access to their expertise/have your own as
working in language unit.

I have also heard of an interesting experiment where a pupil with
dyspraxia was given a drink through a curly straw, then given a written
task to do. The penmanship after the drink was far better than that
performed before drink...thoery was that by 'firing' the oral muscles
through act of sucking, stimulated the kinaesthetic modality. Of course,
it could just have been that the drink refreshed him...was a novel
surprise...that sucking (in same way we chew a pencil or smoke a
cigarrette when looking for verbal inspration)prompted an easier flow of
ideas that made writing easier...whatever the reason, it's something you
might try with all your class and see what happens.

Reading involves kinaesthetic memory too...tracking across page as well as
dropping down/back along lines. Children with dyspraxia often jump
letters/words/lines and of course are unaware that they have done so!
Spelling errors such as 'imort' for 'important' can highlight this sort of
processing difficulty as the eyes are not seeing/processing the word's
length and detail enough tp process it well.

Copying involves visual muscles determining the focal length, then
returning to it accurately on each subsequent visit back and forth from
source to paper. Adult dyslexics and dyspraxics often report copying as
one the hardest skills at school...and tiring as the eye muscles are
having to work very hard.

Hope this is of some help. Happy to suggest more ideas if you have
anything specific...eg for getting 3,7,2, the right way round imagine a
swan it swimming up to them from the right...draw a swan to add some
realism!...the child strokes it over its head and down its next with
left/right hand (whichever he writes with). This imagery can fix intial
movement of 2,3,7 ...its only initial movement that needs to be learnt for
the rest to follow. Help child identify the use of this memory prompt so
they can return to it when needed.

Best wishes,
Sally - Plymouth
> Dear All
>
> I wonder is there is anyone out there who could give ideas for
> helping a reception child in my language unit who has dyspraxia and
> expressive language disorder. He came to us after a term in reception
> from another school, held his pencil in a fist grip and was writing
> his name with letters formed any old how, and with the /s/ and
> occasionally the /h/ and /a/ reversed. He is quite bright, but has no
> sense of space, but responded well to being talked through letters
> and numbers so that he was beginning to get them the right way round.
> However, suddenly he is reversing nearly all his numbers and lots of
> letters and it doesn't now help him to have it demonstrated, talked
> through, etc. We are at a bit of a loss...
>
> Any ideas gratefully received.
>
> Thanks
>
> Su
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