I administered both the visual and auditory perceptual tests in Rosner’s book on helping children overcome learning difficulties to my son. On both, he only got a few wrong. I was most interested in the visual because he has never done a test exactly like that. He missed both without dots and one earlier. Basically, he was totally lost without the dots. Did your son learn to do this exercise without dots (I thought it was hard!!) following Rosner’s process? My son would be on level 7, the one before no dots.
He talked about doing this 30 minutes a day. How long did it take your son once you got to level 7?
I think both these tests reveal what I think is the truth about my son now: he has lots of small deficits that still add up to a fair amount of trouble.
What improvements did you see through this program? Did it help organization? My son is better, following IM, but still could use lots of improvement.
Beth
Re: Rosner's book--Linda F.
We did 5 forms a day for I think it was 2 months. My son started at the very bottom. We used the geoboard with the rubberbands but it sounds like you don’t need to start there. He started around the second page. I think he tested at the preschool level.
It was amazing because he could draw all the forms without dots by the end. It was really IM that got him there. All of a sudden he could just do the entire test.
I think I may take it up again because I think he lost a little of it. He has to draw what are called harmon squares as a part of VT and he has difficulty with it. He is much better than he was though.
You have reminded me to go and test him again.
I think I will wait until we are further into vision therapy.
My son had no trouble with the auditory or the language tests but we had already done phonographix. There are alot of similarities to Rosner’s approach and PG.
I just spoke to my IM provider and we are on the schedule the day after school ends.
Re: Rosner's book--Linda F.
My son missed a couple of the auditory ones too. Sigh. His program is much like things we’ve done. I think I may redo The Listening Porgram.
I was thinking of doing five a day. I realize that he missed the one because he was hurrying (I had promised him a cookie when he finished a certain number) but got all the ones afterwards right, except the ones with no dots. Those he tried to sneak a ruler to do!!! Anyway, I think this goes back to the issue of visualization—with nothing to guide him, he was in trouble.
My son has already done IM and other therapy so maybe this would come easy??? I can only hope. I haven’t done a test exactly like this before but I would venture to say he would have been bad at it a couple years ago. We have done mazes ect and that has helped. I also have done Visual Perceptual skill building from Critical Thinking Books, which had some very similar exercises, although none without dots!!
Beth
Re: Rosner's book--Linda F.
I found his email and emailing him. Figure it couldn’t hurt. Thanks for the idea.
Beth
Re: Rosner's book--Linda F.
You asked about improvements and I didn’t address that above. I saw improvements in his ability to draw, his handwriting mostly related to spacing, and the biggest was his ability to stay on the line. After the program he could write on a page with no lines and keep it all straight. Formerly, he would be writing down the side of the page. He could finally do graphs, read them, draw them, etc. He could finally look at and use the 1-100 numbers chart. He used to completely avoid any tasks related to that chart.
I saw so many other improvements but we did IM at the same time so I can’t really say what other improvements were related to this program.
One other thing, his report card this year separates out for different skills. He got advanced proficient for “identifies plane and solid figures,” proficient for “understanding symmetry and congruence,” proficient for “understanding area, perimeter and volume.” and proficient for “understands and is able to use a variety of graphs.”
There is no way he would have gotten these grades on the math section of his report card before. This years teacher doesn’t see any problem at all.
The optometrist used two tests for visual spatial he tested average on one and in the 1% on the other. I don’t know why to tell the truth the optometrist even seemed a bit baffled.
He still has a ways to go with visual spatial concepts but he has come a long way.
Re: Rosner's book--Linda F.
Thanks Linda. My son isn’t as bad as your son was but he isn’t as good as your son is now. Maybe this would help with some of the underlying processes to math. I don’t think the issues there are quite as complex as reading for him and I would love to have it be easier for him. It is really tough on a kid to have everything be a struggle.
Beth
Look at your preface in Rosner’s book. I actually found his email, I think at the University of Houston. I wrote and asked him a question and I received a very kind, thoughtful response. The wonder of the internet!