Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I have had several people ask about what written expression is and as a parent what can they do about it. Well here goes.  Written expression is an expressive language problem. This is when the individual has difficulty expressing themselves through writing.  Many times these people are very articulate when the speak verbally and they can sound great (fluent) when they read. All too often they do not comprehend much of what they read. Unfortunately, they cannot seem to get their thoughts down on paper. (Some students have told me that it is just blank in their heads and they just don't know how to get started.  Procrastination seems to take hold here and many times never leaves, even into adulthood.) Therapies where multi-sensory approaches are are used are very effective for this population.  

Parents, a good rule of thumb to use at home would be to have your child read a paragraph and then ask them who the story is about, when is it taking place, where is it taking place, what is happening within the paragraph, what do they predict will happen next. Then for writing that report use the kidspiration program found in the store portion of this website.  This is critical for this population.  

Hope this gives everyone a little better insight to written expression.  I look forward to your comments.

Maren Angelotti, M.A.T. 

Monday, March 2, 2009

I understand your frustration. As mentioned in my book, one of my daughters experienced similar challenges. If your daughter's diagnosis was accurate, then her anxiety and depression are probably more pronounced than her ADHD and Dyslexia right now. Look on the Amen website for the SPECT imaging. (www.amenclinics.com) There files on depression, anxiety, ADD etc. will give you a better insight to what she is going through. The first thing to do is get to a good neuropsychiatrist or neurologist who specializes in ADD or ADHD and who understand the SPECT imaging. They can give you the proper dosages of medication for this population. I know that this was a life saver for my daughter. Once your daughter's med's are regulated then if she needs help with remediation in the areas of reading or math, then I might be able to direct you to a good certified academic language therapist in your area. Don't feel hopeless. Huge your daughter and let her know that there are plenty of others out there going through the same thing. Tell her to remember that she is loved.
   
 
 
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