Learning Challenges

We work with kids with language processing disorders frequently and have a lot of success. Here's why our products are successful with many of our families. Here's why:

First, we separate writing skills and practice them apart from each other. While many programs will expect one to negotiate the skills of idea generation, organization, handwriting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation all at once, we find writers experience the greatest success when we work on the mechanics of writing (spelling, grammar, punctuation) separately from original thought. We encourage writers to work on mechanics with someone else's writing through the acts of copywork and dictation. We work separately on original thought (moving the ideas that live inside to the page) with appropriate support from the writing coach/partner.

That support is the second key element of Brave Writer that is often helpful to a writer with learning challenges. We understand that writers all move through natural stages of growth in writing (learn more about those here: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing) and that writers in a particular natural stage of growth have varying needs of support from their writing coach/partner. In the Jot It Down stage, the earliest stage, writers lack the handwriting ability necessary to keep up with the speed of their thoughts. A parent, then, will transcribe those thoughts as a writer speaks them aloud. This reinforces the idea that a writer's ideas have value and are worthy of getting down on paper, even if a child can't handwrite them independently. 

Of course, though Brave Writer is helpful for children with learning differences, it's important to acknowledge that there are therapies that can help with dysgraphia, dyslexia, and other learning challenges. Our colleague Rita Cevasco at Rooted in Language is a speech-language therapist with a wealth of resources available to help writers progress in the face of writing difficulties. 

 

If you would like to read more about this topic, read here: Exploring Learning Difference: ADD, ADHD, Dysgraphia, Autism, Dyslexia.