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The written word

Guest post by: Catherine PAYEN

Article Overview: The written word is so simple for some...a nightmare for others.

The written word

Hello mes amis, today I feel really lucky & very creative. We take for granted the simple (ha ha) written word - just writing a postcard to someone with hello written on it can be a very daunting task for some. I do not speak lightly on this subject either. I am about to go to my daughter's school to put into place a special needs program just for her.

I recall Maude getting into the age of reading & writing and if she got just one word, out of ten she was to learn, wrong then she would say 'oh no mummy I want to rewrite all 10 words out again.' And her big eyes would just beam up at me, so of course I complied. Then this suddenly stopped. I did not listen or see, at the time I worked from home for my husband's company and the work load was immense & growing.

Then we had year in, year out 'Maude, should - how do you say in english 'redoubler' i.e. Stay in the same class a second year. This, I was sure was not what Maude needed, she is a very bright girl who writes like a younger one, with many spelling mistakes but having heard for years myself, the same comments-fact being that I could not string a sentence without the odd spelling mistake, or that I write numbers back to front-this did not stop me from getting a very high education degree in science no less! Although at this time nothing more was said save the next year again Maude would pull out the plug during the third term & the academics would all think 'Well the first 2 terms were not so good but the third one was really quite brilliant so ok she may move up to the next class.'

Then about two years ago a teacher said to me that perhaps Maude was dyslexic... My husband & the father along with my sister were in agreement; but I was not listening.

Maude continued her education, marks not really high and writing still baby-ish, even what we call invariable words not learnt, spelling getting to the minus 60s in the dictated pasages [how cruel of the teachers to do that, minus sixty why not stop at zero?].

So last year Maude decides to work & I mean really work, I would be allowed to test her and yes could say that verbally she knew her stuff. 'Mummy, I got so stressed out that the paper went blank' or 'I just had time to do 3 out of 8 questions' and I could see that she really was at a loss.

I LISTENED

I saw a little girl, big blue eyes very long thick blondish hair and a very, very, very thick brick wall to amass this bewilderment of un-comprehension. (I have a lump in my throat now just to write this down...) I must have an interlude at this point to make you, dear reader, understand really how it is for HER. Her older brother by 15 months, is qualified as a 'genius' in QI terms (that's another story and no it is not very pleasant for him - bullied at school & hated by the teachers), her younger brother, 18 months, has not yet been tested but is along the same lines - just looks at a musical partition and knows it by heart... and the younger sister, 7 years, probably the same...So Maude finds herself in the middle of a very cerebral family even though the father is an Artisan Plumber & Heating expert, everything he touches turns to gold (thank you darling;) he can mastermind a computer, grow all the vegetables, clean the house & do the laundry no problem along with taking care of the four children and their activities whilst running his own company!!

So Maude went along to be tested and the diagnosis was that she is possibly dyslexic. The 'orthophoiste' told me she has not been able to do the complete test on Maude as Maude was too stressed out and completely 'blobed'. She also told me how the brain functions and the repercussions for Maude, how it must have been for her and in her head spending so much time and physical energy to write the lessons that she comes home completely drained out and the thought of having to fight again those letters to make sentences and do her homework was a very daunting task to say the least. Especially when you know they get home at 6pm and have, for a normal child, about 2 hours work, for Maude that was easily doubled!! I had to fight back the tears as there my whole world fell apart. How could I not have listened? Well if you are a parent you will know what I mean, and if you are not I shall not bore you with these flaggelationary details (is this a word??? - I am so fond of making up my own words...)

So from what I understand the hearing goes into the brain. The brain transcribes it into comprehension. This is then transcribed into codes. These codes are then re-transcribed into the written word onto paper (or computer!!). It's a 4 step process and Maude has a dysfonction in one of the steps namely the 4th. (To be determined when the complete tests can be finished.)

So right now we are in the process of putting up a program adapted to her schooling needs...

We are indeed very fortunate in this country to be able to put into place such a program and to be in a school favorable for such a system to be put into practice.

I am going now & shall keep you posted as to what happened...

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Article Tags: blank paper, dyslexic, flagelation, Listened, nightmare, stressed out
Referred by: http://jaykubassek.com/



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