Getting It All In Writing
© Joan Archer
Unlike some theorists, I do not believe it is imperative for a good writer to also be a voracious reader, at least in the beginning. A good writer simply needs a good story to tell, and a set of tools to tell it effectively.
Regular readers of this column already know my son Jasper has had many struggles with dyslexia, and those of you familiar with dyslexia know that it might initially present itself as a reading problem, but in reality it is a whole-system information processing problem. You may already be familiar with some of the accomodations we have made in order for him to learn to express himself clearly both in writing and in speaking, so I won't waste too much time going back over those things. I will present instead, different ways we can go about getting our children familiar with writing, based on age groups.
From Birth to age One, it is important to speak to our babies in complete sentences, and to look Baby in the eyes when we speak. I always baby talked my boys when they were little, and I admit that unashamedly. Of course, I knew when to stop, but the only one of my boys who was not an early reader was Jasper. I was working outside of the home when he was a baby, and so I did not have time to really communicate with him at all. The important thing here is, communication. At this age, they are getting the rhythm of communication more than the actual words themselves. Of course, it pays to keep our conversations respectful, because there will always be the child who picks up the one bad word or phrase we unwittingly say in their presence.
At ages Two to Three, language should pick up dramatically. For my eldest son, Michael, this was the age he was tested and re-tested for a language deficit because he was a "late-talker". He has caught up since then, but after the whole barrage of tests and therapies which did nothing for him, his speech people missed diagnosing psychomotor seizures. He was judged to be nearly incapable of communication (of course, I understood him perfectly). After I insisted on further testing, reporting "staring spells" to the neurologist, he was put on medication. His language and motor skills progressed an extra year in the six weeks that followed. Eventually, he was weaned off of the meds, and has remained seizure free since then. He has also become an excellent student, designing web pages since the age of eleven. He believes he is going to be "like Bill Gates, only better" and I believe he will. The point here is, if there is minimal language improvement at this age, do not hesitate to have the child tested. Homeschool kids have equal access to testing as Public school students, due to the Equality in Education Act. Contact your State Education Department for this.
