The Sensory Systems that are Secretly Making Reading and Writing Challenging
“No, ma’am, his eyesight is perfect.”
Ironically, that’s not at all the answer you wanted.
Your 7-year-old is having a very hard time learning to read and write. He mixes up letters, he skips words… he even complains of nausea when he needs to do reading in the classroom. You were so hoping that this was all a case of needing glasses, and then all would be smooth sailing.
But it’s not.
What do you do now?
***
We just wrote a guest post for the Growing Hands on Kids site on that very topic. You’re welcome to check it out: The Secret Sensory Culprit Making Reading and Writing Challenging for Your Child.
You’ll find out about the other sensory systems (not just the visual system) that can make reading and writing a struggle, together with practical tips and exercises for you to help your child in those areas.
Lovely article, but don’t forget speech language pathologists, who work with kids with auditory/speech issues. We are also part of the team!
Hi Julie,
You’re right – speech-language pathologists are often a critical part of the team helping children with auditory system difficulties. We’ve added that into the actual post on Growing Hands on Kids – you SLPs deserve the mention. 🙂
All the best,
Amy and Evelyn
Hello! I’m so glad I came across your article. I felt it was very informative. I only wish I had come across it sooner when I was teaching in elementary school. I’ve always know the vestibular system to be very important to develop, but I didn’t always see the correlation on how it related to reading and writing. I will certainly keep your article in mind as my son begins to read and write. Thank you!
Hi Jeannie,
We’re so happy that you found the article helpful. We know; it IS frustrating when you come across information after a time when it would have been useful. We’ve felt that way also as we’ve researched these topics and realized there were things we would have ideally liked to do differently in our own or our families’ lives, although we try to look forward and think about what we can do for the future. And it sounds like you’re thinking that way as well. Best of luck guiding your son as he grows and develops – we wish you as smooth a process as possible!
All the best,
Amy and Evelyn