Wednesday, June 29, 2011

You are never too old to learn

Dyslexia is one of my child's differences. He is 17 years old and can't write his name. This is a story of a school in England that uses multisensory teaching for children with dyslexia. In it, I've come across a possible remedy to that.   Writing, it seems, is a motor learning, not visual as I have tried to teach it.

Recently, Ben was very ashamed to write his name for the ID he had to obtain for attending Tech school this summer. It took him 10 minutes, because he kept starting over again. He had to look at my representation that I wrote out for him to even begin. Maybe he had no "motor memory" of it, and had always depended on visual cues (i.e., he could not write it without copying from an example.)

He was so proud of this signature he made one day. I think it was a bit much, though, don't you? It was a much more gratifying one, though, I'm sure.  I copied it in reverse colors, to better see the detail.  Wouldn't it be cool to get one of those signature stamps?  I've just gotten an idea.......





Here is the film, brought to my attention by Sally Gardner, an author of children's stories who is dyslexic herself.  She has the MOST uplifting and informative tweets.  I wouldn't trade what she has taught me for the world. She loves our kids.  She sees their gifts, and not their differences.  Notice in the story how beautiful, yet gentle the kids are.  They have not been taught they are defective. They are grateful to those who teach them the way they learn.  The most important thing is that they do learn, and can grow to contribute, not be ashamed of themselves.

The beautiful boy who starts the piece, and learns multisensorily is thankful to his teacher.  I absolutely am in love with him. 

I wish I had been much more gentle to Ben.  I didn't know.


Find more videos like this on Dyslexic Advantage


Original Worlds-most-complicated-signature:
needed for signature stamp  ;)

1 comment:

EDS Warrior said...

That signature is FANTASTIC!!!