To Linda F

Curious about if there is a signifigance to having difficulty with angles that any of you are aware of. I remember from my ds’s testing last year that he could reproduce written shapes OK, but she noted particular difficulty with angles. (?)

Do you have a geoboard? I am not sure if where you are is the part that uses a geoboard and rubber bands. My son tested very low so we had to start practically at the beginning.

Doing the shape on the geoboard with the rubber bands really helped my son conceputalize the shape he was trying to draw.

You can buy geoboards for just a few dollars. Try www.etacuisenaire.com
You will have to search for it but I know it is on that site.

I would consider going backwards and doing those shapes on more dots or using the geoboard with the rubber bands to make the shape before he draws them.

I just tested him recently. He is EXACTLY where he was when we finished these exercises 10 months ago. He can do most of the shapes but they aren’t exact and he gets to close to the sides. I might do this again with him.

Karen,

I know that my son’s Neuronet therapist has commented on the angles before. I am not sure of the significane really but she did tie it into his difficulties with fractions. I will ask.

She also told me, after I posted my original message, that yoga and the head stands we are doing will help. She was tying it into the body, which I thought was interesting.

Here is the head stand exercise we’re doing. My youngest, who has some handwriting issues, is doing it too.

Get a small stool and a pillow. I have a small blue rubbermaid stool I purchased at Walmart. With his feet on the stool, have the child put his head on the pillow and make a triangle with his head with his hands. Have the child get on his toes on the stool, while his head and hands are in a triangle. Then have him put one leg on one arm like in a tripod but with the other foot (on toes) still on the stool. Count slowly to ten. Have him reverse and do other foot. Then from the position of both sets of feet on toes on stool, have him put both legs on arms but only a few inches off stool. This is harder than letting him get into a true tripod and and requires more control. Again count to ten.

I can’t say I quite understand the logic she was using as to why this would be useful but thought it would help his tracking and my youngest handwriting. I think it works on integrating visual vestibular system—you have know where your legs are. But in any case, my kids think this is rather fun so you might give it a try.

I think we move from here to real tripods, and then to head stands. I can let you know the sequence, if you are interested.

Beth

Linda,

My son tested at the last level of dots. He did all but one of that level correctly but none of those without dots. He is actually having more trouble with the exercises than with the test, which I think is odd.

I thought the same thing about going back to an easier level. He obviously can’t perceive or at least reproduce the angles correctly with so little information. Our Neuronet therapist thought this was at least partly a body issue. She said headstands, which I describe in post to Karen N, will help. This ties back to one of your earlier posts, I think, about the body. You might also give them a try. He thinks it is fun. She also said that yoga would help, which I also thought was interesting.

Beth

I’m having trouble picturing this… what is the starting position - lying down on back, or standing on stool? If I were at my yoga class I guess I’d start by putting my head and hands down and then lifting myfeet on to the stool. Does that sound right?

BTW, when ds was doingi interactive metronome he became obsessed with handstands, and can do them against the wall and in the middle of the room pretty well for a kid with motor planning issues!

I am not sure if your child is up to the level reqired to do this, but here is one approach that often helps with copying shapes (geometric, artistic, or letter forms).
(1) Have him trace the form *lightly* with his fingertip. His arm and hand should be sliding freely. Use enlarged copies if the original shapes are too small. The idea is smooth, fairly quick motion from point to point.
(2) Have him close his eyes and reproduce the shape, same motions, on the tabletop.
(3) Take a pen or marker and reproduce the shape, light and quick and large, on paper.
To be avoided is the leaning on the pencil and dragging it through the paper method — every little jerk and wobble becomes an issue, and the forest gets lost in the trees.

After this method has been learned, it is useful in alnalyzing quite complex diagrams — I still trace them out with my fingertip.

Yes—think yoga class. I first have him put his head on the pillow and then position his hands. Then put his feet on the stool. The stool allows a child to be able to more easily put their legs on their hands. Eventually, they don’t use it.

If he is into handstands, he ought to like this one too!

Beth

This is a good idea too!!

Beth

Funny you bring this up. I am taking yoga. I just joined a gym that has classes for kids too. Not yoga classes but agility, speed, balance and coordination training. He starts today.

It sounded like OT but for only $12 a class and no stigma. It is for athletes.

We are working through the exercises in that book I told you about. It is all starting to really click.

This is interesting, my son has always been the slowest on every team for sprints. He was second the other day. It seemed to coinicide exactly with his finally getting these movements.

I will try this one with him too.

Thanks.

Ps. My son loved the geoboard. It really was fun for him. Now my younger son likes to play with it by making shapes with the rubber bands.

That sounds like a gem of a class. My son now wants to take drawing classes, as well as pottery—can you imagine???? This is the child for whom last year I couldn’t decide if the drawing or writing aspect of book reports was worse!! He was decent at tracing so he mostly did that.

But he had to hand draw 8 of his 26 pictures (one for each letter of the alphabet) for his Florida report. I was dreading it, expecting tears of frustration. Instead, he really got into it and drew some really really nice pictures, including animals. He had drawn palm trees (sort of a splinter skill) but never anything else. I was rather shocked. And then he started drawing the outlines of states from a pictures in a book. The detail is amazing.

And last week we were in a local artist’s gallery and he kept commenting on all the paintings and how she could draw so well. I told him she probably had natural talent but probably took lessons too. Hence, the request for drawing lessons….

Beth

I have been contemplating drawing lessons for my son for awhile. BUT WHEN!!!

I know you know what I mean.

We will fit them in at some point.

That is just great that your son is drawing for fun. I still can’t draw. Maybe I have some visual perception issues lurking. I thought the Rosner exercises were hard.

My son just tried out some musical instruments the other morning (at his present soon to be old school the 4th graders can study instruments) and has decided he’d like to play the flute. Heavens knows how we’ll fit that in even without the tutoring etc next year. But imagine if he could really manage the fine motor/motor planning/ breathing required to play the flute!

and refer to it as the OT I should have had as a child!

I can really see that. I think I finally know how to breathe. What do you know?

I was doing it wrong all these years.

Linda F - you crack me up!