Features of Written Output Disorder

At last here are a list of some of the features or indicators of Written Output Disorder. A big thank you to Sarah Howard, the assessment manager, of The Eaton Learning Centre, who graciously provided this helpful information. I know this information will be valuable to parents worried about their children and considering educational testing. I will create a permanent link to it in the links section, so it will be easily available.

1)Resistance to writing tasks that goes above and beyond the “norm” for that child – this can include a refusal to show math work.


2)Anxiety around writing tasks or opposition

3)Poorly formed printing, difficulty learning to write cursively

4)Forgetting to use capitals and punctuation correctly despite knowing the “rules”

5)Writing all the way up to the edge of a page – seeming not to understand the physical limitations of the page space

6)Very large letters or very small letters or what looks like trying to drive the pencil right through the page – all symptoms of “finger agnosia” where the student cannot get enough feedback from their fingers about the pencil and so they grip tighter and tighter, losing control

7)Aversion towards artwork – not all students are like this – or a hatred of colouring tasks

8)Notable difference between a child’s verbal skills/oral expression and their written work – an example of this would be a student who could tell you everything you wanted to know about the atom but when asked to make a poster outlining the parts of an atom, might write the following: Neutron = part of an atom, Proton = part of an atom, Electron = part of an atom.

In testing, we look primarily at visual processing speed, visual motor integration, and fine motor coordination but working memory and expressive language difficulties as well as problems with attention can also wreck havoc on a child’s ability to write.

Study: Learning disorders might be genetic

Here is the link to the journal where you can read the article discussed in this article below: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1751-228X.2007.00002.x


LONDON, March 14 (UPI) -- A British researcher suggests a wide variety of learning disabilities might be caused by "generalist" genes.

"Old studies tend to focus on finding the genes responsible for single disorders," said review author Robert Plomin, "but with the new analysis techniques available, new studies are providing evidence that genes can be responsible for a wide range of learning disorders."

Recommended Reading: Not Even Wrong by Paul Collins

I believe in reading widely on the topic of different learning styles and one of the advantages of this approach is occasionally you alight of a treat on a book like Paul Collins: Not Even Wrong: A father's journey into the long history of autism. (published by Bloomsbury USA in 2005). While I am not personally dealing with autism, there are always parallels in these kinds of journeys, (also it's a very wide spectrum, I would guess most artists fall somewhere along it) so I read voraciously on the topic regardless. Not Even Wrong takes the form of a hybrid of memoir and history. Collins depicts his own experience as his young son Morgan is diagnosed autistic, while he concurrently researches this book, which at times feels pleasingly like a travelogue because he crosses back and forth to England and Europe to complete his research. It's to Collins credit that his writing style is so engaging, he possesses this handy knack of putting these precise, additional details that absolutely put the reader where-ever he's describing. So whether it's the school, doctor's office, the house of eminent autism expert Dr Simon Baron-Cohen or the graveyard, where he's trying to locate the grave of a historic feral child The Wild Boy, it's all very immediate.

This is the kind of book that reminded me of how important it is to remain flexible with whatever life hurls your way. It's a very uplifting book and many parents will take courage from his experience. There are also important historical perspectives and experiences of autistics in the book reminding us that autism has a long history, perhaps one that has yet to documented extensively. A brave and intelligent book -- highly recommended.

Special pencil: Dixon TRI-CONDEROGA HB 2

Victory! We have found a pencil that helps my child. I quote him directly: "it feels triangular not like those pencils at school. It doesn't hurt your fingers because it's softer. It's made my writing look beautiful"

I will upload a picture as soon as I have time. Basically it's triangular shape and is fatter than a regular pencil and is black with some kind of soft coating.

Neo keyboard writing and spelling game

We have been experimenting with the Alpahsmart Neo keyboard further, to much success. It's a very handy device to prompt output. An interesting game to try is typing messages to each other. My child is particular responsive to this. So a parent or sibling types a question or comment, then passes the keyboard to the child and the child types a reply. Usually it's just fun messages like: do you want a cup of tea? Who do you think will win the hockey tonight?

Today we tried an alternative with a spelling angle. I would deliberately type mistakes in my messages and see if my child could spot them. It's much easier to spot spelling errors when it's someone elses message.

The other thing I like about the NEO is it's so light, so it's like handing over an average sized book and the keyboard is manageable for small fingers because the keys are bigger.

This exercise also works very well with pen and paper, but use the keyboard when the child is fatigued and doesn't feel like writing, or if you want to get some typing practice in.

Study Puts Rate of Autism at 1 in 150 U.S. Children

Study Puts Rate of Autism at 1 in 150 U.S. Children


About one child in 150 develops autism or a related disorder like Asperger’s syndrome by the age of 8, according to a study released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study, which looked at cases of so-called autism spectrum disorders in 14 states in 2000 and 2002, is the most rigorous analysis to date of the disorders’ prevalence in the United States. It confirms recent estimates, which put the number at roughly one in 160 children — higher than the one-in-200 estimate made in the 1980s.
The analysis also found that delays in diagnosis were common: an average of at least a year and a half from the time parents first reported odd speech problems or other social deficits, typically around the age of 3.

Read rest of article on New York Times here

Channel 4 documentary: child genius

Article about Channel 4 programme that will go out tomorrow at 8pm.

Michael is one of the high-achieving children in a new Channel 4 series which documents the lives of 10 gifted children growing up in the UK and regularly updates us on their progress, Seven-Up style.

rest of article is here

Batch of news links

Quick round up of some recent articles that may interest parents/readers with children who have ADHD or symptoms related to it.

New Guidelines For GP's Revolutionise Treatment For Hyperactivity Disorders

Australian story:
Poor city boys top ADHD medication
CITY dwellers are five times more likely to be prescribed hyperactivity stimulants than people living in remote areas, research shows.


British news story:
'They're calling my son ineducable'


Nearly 3,000 of the 20,000 adult students with learning difficulties have lost their college places. Polly Curtis reports on a war of words over what such students need

Also check out comments on post dysgraphia vs written output disorder with some first hand tips for tackling ADHD from Brent..

Batch of news links

Quick round up of some recent articles that may interest parents/readers with children who have ADHD or symptoms related to it.

New Guidelines For GP's Revolutionise Treatment For Hyperactivity Disorders

Australian story:
Poor city boys top ADHD medication
CITY dwellers are five times more likely to be prescribed hyperactivity stimulants than people living in remote areas, research shows.


British news story:
'They're calling my son ineducable'


Nearly 3,000 of the 20,000 adult students with learning difficulties have lost their college places. Polly Curtis reports on a war of words over what such students need

ADHD in youth may be misdiagnosed for sleep disorders

BALTIMORE - Frenzied and restless behavior in a teenage son or daughter may signal they need more pillow time.


Teens do not exhibit the same signs of sleepiness as adults, and therefore distracted or overexcited behavior caused by fragmented sleep may masquerade as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, said Dr. Robert Meny, a sleep specialist at the Sleep Center at Franklin Square in Baltimore City.

“A tired child is an irritable, hyper child,” he said, whereas adults tend to be more subdued when they are sleepy.

more here