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Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, and Intelligence

"Oh, I'm just lazy," Toby drawls as he stretches his arm across the table and rests his head in the crook of his elbow.

For ten minutes now, we've been struggling with handwriting and spelling on the blackboard. In that ten minutes we have been able to complete only three grade-one-level phrases. I force the issue and insist that every letter be properly formed and every word correctly spelled. It is hard work for both of us.

"You started the 'o' at the bottom again; it looks like a cursive 'e'; rub it out and start at the top."

"Aw, geez..."

But he complies. He spells 'come' as 'com', 'eat' as 'et'. He rushes. I make him repeat. For every 'o' and 'a' he has to stop, erase, and re-write. Some words have the right letters but wrong order. Some letters are reversed. What to do other than repeat, repeat, repeat?

Because he has such great difficulty spacing even his poorly formed/spelled words on paper, and because this may be what has been called a 'fine-motor' problem, I allow him to use the blackboard. Yesterday, working on paper, he had to stop and shake out his hand, complaining of cramping.

But he still struggles. He rests the heel of his hand against the board to steady the chalk. This results in miniscule writing. He tries to allow the hand to relax. We do a few Dennison 'Brain Gym' exercises to loosen up. He touches the board with chalk for a few seconds. No luck. The problems continue.

"Slow down.".... "Erase.".... " Repeat."

By the end of the third phrase we are both exhausted. Quitting time. He collapses into a chair to make the confession about indolence.

So, do I allow him to continue to believe that his poor penmanship (dysgraphia) is the result of 'laziness' on his part? I try to impress upon him that many of the other students who come to me have similar problems, that his problems have to do with motor co-ordination, NOT intelligence. (Oh, that rings so hollow as I say the words; our system gives lip-service to 'learning difficulties', but understanding is still far off, a pipe-dream for those of us who see these very real difficulties up close every day. And see the waning of confidence, the utter frustration that often results in a 'behaviour' label. Or, if the child is compliant, a 'daydreamer' label.) I explain to Toby that the only way I know to correct his difficulty is to practise, practise, practise, with this really easy stuff that no teacher is ever going to go back to again. He smiles and slithers forward on the table, finding an eraser to fidget with. But he agrees to continue to try again tomorrow. He will be the one to decide whether to use paper or blackboard or fat marker on art paper. We will break the skills down to manageable bits and do what we can. He will explain what his problems are. We will continue with keyboarding also, but, dream as we will, some fluency in penmanship will still be necessary. He leaves my room with a self-conscious grin and another comment about just being lazy.

Our 120 mintues per week is shared with three others. While we struggle with phrases, one student works individually with ear-phones on a new individualized computer language program. She has no need of penmanship drills; she shares the rushing 'carelessness' trait, but her printing is legible and she loves blackboard work because this young ballet dancer can then get her entire body into the act of writing. On paper, this former paper-hater now works at long, involved, stories about fictional girls who look just like her. Another student is working avidly from the SRA Reading Lab, trying to prove that she can gain another level before the end of the school year. She has mastered most of her reversals now, and enjoys writing the drama she sees in her own family's daily existence. She will survive. The last member of our group is half lying on the work-table, watching silently as we struggle. He has completed his math assignment and does not interfere, so I allow him simply to observe; his own writing/spelling problems are very similar and he has much to gain from this empathetic watching. He has, at least, his good oral reading ability as a source of pride.

So many problems, so little time.

I take time to reflect on 'lazy' Toby. Here is a boy who seems totally bereft of motivation. There seems to be an element of truth in his self-analysis. But he exhibits so many of the other conditions common to all my clientel from kindergarten to grade eight.

Toby has a laterality anomaly. He writes with his right hand, but looks into a kaleidoscope with his left eye. The implications of this type of condition were described by Dr. Robert J. Doman in a 1987 article entitled "Laterality and Learning Difficulties". Doman's website is elusive, his explanation perhaps simplistic, but it is still the only rationale that has made any sense of what I see day after day, year after year, with people of both genders and every age. Doman explained that, since perception is contra-lateral, having dominance on both sides of the brain may cause confusion with organizing and storing information, and difficulty with locating the information for retreival. I have yet to find any research that negates Doman's hypothesis. My students are a constant validation of his logic.

Toby also exhibits hyper-mobility of joints (what we would commonly call 'double-jointedness'). He can wrap either arm comfortably over a shoulder and clasp the wrist of the other arm. His can also bend his fingers backwards at angles that are painful to observe.

While posted to an International School recently, I came across the opinion that the hyper-mobility evident in the subject's hands might be linked to his difficulty with penmanship. I do not remember the name of the specialist, but, given the status of the young man in question, I am sure his credibility was above reproach. I checked the others in my culturally diverse International group and found that, while not all of them shared this trait, (there were varying areas of learning problems), most of those who had fingers that flexed easily in weird ways, had difficulty with handwriting.

Degrees of hyper-mobility are also present in most of my current LD students here in Canada, but not in all. As at the International School, we are finding that a wide-bodied 'gel' writing implement helps. It is not panacea, but 'gel' ink flows more freely and a wide pen allows for a more relaxed grasp of the tool. Most students experience less cramping, and can stay on task for longer periods of time. For 'pre-ink' younger students, those 'fat' pencils that we call 'primary' may need to be made available and change their current label.

Another condition that was identified in another report at the International School, and tenuously linked to hyper-mobility, was strong peripheral vision (as opposed to the strong binocular frontal focus required for sustained reading). Peripheral vision is a gift to athletes, performers, and video-game experts. It allows a wide field of focus. It seems to be in opposition to the ability to keep both eyes co-ordinated on lines of print for long periods of time. This is not science - yet. But if fits with what I observe with these many children who excel at video games, sports, dance, music, art, but who shy away from reading and writing tasks. (For more on this subject, search "Sports Vision" and "Visual Development" websites.)

This possible link between hyper-mobility and peripheral vision was reported to me by Kyle's mother. Kyle was an ambidextrous, hyper-mobile young man, also one of my charges at the International School. He had been seen by a visual specialist in the US. The professional's opinion was that the same generalized hyper-mobility within joints that made Kyle such an outstanding gymnast, might account for a looseness in the muscles of the eye, making extended periods of binocular frontal focus problematic. This would help to account for the boy's reluctance to read, even with 20/20 vision. Kyle had also been assessed to be "dyslexic" with an IQ in genius range. He described himself as "addicted to video games" and complained that, given a page of print, it started as a "grey blur", but, that he could bring it into focus. He was able to maintain this focus for short periods, but would never voluntarily consider reading for pleasure. Kyle described his handwriting (accurately) as "hopeless", but he could type with great efficiency. Luckily, Kyle was housed in a school that respected his difficulties and encouraged lap-top use.

Now there is Toby. An avid video-game player who frequently asks for a blue overlay for reading. He complains of "seeing double" on most days. But not always. An appointment has been made with a Visual Development specialist. Interestingly, of the thirty-odd students I see there are only two other students who appreciate coloured overlays; one gravitates to blue, the other to yellow. (See Oxford University's "Dyslexia Research Trust" website - dyslexic.org.uk - for use of yellow and blue tinted glasses...)

In summary, Toby has three physical conditions that may be contributing to his difficulties at school. He has a visual problem, his joints are hyper-mobile, and he has a laterality anomaly. Just how these fit together is a conumdrum that no amount of educational research will define.

But neuro-science may be getting close. MRI studies show us that the brain of a dyslexic has unique wiring. (And suggests that there is no consistent "dyslexic" pattern...?) The work of Dr. Virginia Berninger also shows us that children who are dyslexic use significantly more brain capacity than typical children and suggests that this cause them to tire far more quickly. (http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/dysl.html)

But how do we know which children are 'dyslexic'? A quick laterality check would probably provide that information, but science has yet to discover/define/recognize this symptom even though it has been recognized as a possible significant factor as far back as the early 1900's in Orton's original work. Orton was interested in left-handers, but did not go further to look at the complete lateral dominance profile. More recently, according to Robert Doman, the child who prints with either hand, who did not crawl, who holds a kaleidoscope to the eye opposite the printing hand, who prefers to hold a seashell to the left ear, who kicks right, but prints left, will be the one who is exceptional. For integrated functioning, the eye, ear, hand, and foot, all need to function with dominance on the same side; either right or left. I have found that we need to add 'arm' to this list. Often a person will write with one hand, but perform larger motor actions from the opposite side of the body.

Laterality anomalies define exceptionality, not intelligence. Many laterally cross-dominant children may have difficulty with one specific area of schooling, but a quick glance at any "Famous Dyslexic" website will reveal that these are usually the most talented, creative, outstanding individuals among us. Are all geniuses ambidextrous?

Without proper re-training of teachers, the danger is that ambidextrous/cross-lateral children may be identified (unofficially, of course) as "stupid". We have made this error in the past.

The problem is that we still function on the old "bright-or-stupid" model of "intelligence" and on the Broca/Wernicke mid-1800's model of the human brain. We are slow to recognize the implications of new, burgeoning information about the human brain. Dr. M. K. Holder (http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/brain.html) suggests that lateralization of the brain may account for both human variability and dyslexia.

It seems possible, now, to pose an entirely new model of human mental functioning, a model that totally eliminates the concept of "intelligence", a model that reveals us each to be the product (or victim) of our individual brain wiring and physiology.

And of brain chemistry. It seems we did a much better job of feeding the brain back when we ate more natural foods and insisted on cod-liver oil for our children. Research out of England now proves the point. Children with many types of learning difficulties do better when fish-oils are added to their diet. (http://www.dyslexia-parent.com/mag51.html)

We are at a critical point in our thinking about education. Our school systems have traditionally been deeply rooted in philosophies. Quite suddenly, with the advent of studies based on MRIs, we are discovering some cold hard facts about the human brain and will have to make some serious adjustments to accommodate this new information. The cold hard facts might well result in a more humane approach to educating children. More recognition of variability, more respect for skills other than those measured by the WISC, more tolerance for differences and difficulties.

From neurologists working with brain-injured patients we have known for years that it is possible to "re-wire" the human brain by intense repetition of skills. Professors Gabrieli and Tallal (see Research at <>) have now shown that the brain of dyslexic readers can be re-wired to increase phonological awareness. This is done with a program of intense, specialized training. I assume their "Fast ForWord" program is highly structured and repetitive. And it works. (Of course it ignores the possibility that a program that can actually "alter brains" may interfere with other creative, unique talents... for the sake of all children being able to do exactly the same task at the same age in the same way...)

But once again, the medium is the message. Repetiton works. In every skill area.

Kumon Centres know this and capitalize on our lack of drilling basic skills. They are a franchised tutoring service that offers highly structured, highly repetitive programming. Not surprisingly, they are one of the fastest-growing franchise businesses worldwide. (And probably should pay me a commission for the number of times I have recommended their services.)

Our current Ontario curriculum certainly provides no possibility for repetition, and, philosophically, rote learning has been out of vogue for many years. Yet, there it is: "Repetitio est mater studiorum" my old Latin Teacher used to quote (ad nauseum...) fifty years ago. Ah, the perfect example: I remember it still, and it means more to me now than it did then! "Repetition is the mother of studies".

Neuro-science provides the rationale for rote learning of skills that are essential for life. Meaning may be preferable, eventually even critical, but it can come later.

Remember 'writing lines'? There is good reason to have children do repetitive, mindless exercises. Those who have diffculty starting print at the margin and have their work slide obliquely across a page, those who reverse letters, who reverse letter order, and those who have visual difficulty tracking along a line of print, need repetitive practise. (And heavily drawn lines and margins.) Primary students need to have our 'left-to-right" convention in printing and reading drawn consciously to their attention. Repeatedly. Children who cannot write within the lines need to be given extra time to practise that skill. Repeatedly. Children who cannot differentiate left from right need drills and tricks to remember. Our Military knows this. Drills work.

And drills in writing are even more essential than drills that facilitate reading. The child who can read cannot necessarily write, but the child who can write can definitely read. Perhaps we need to adjust our focus and look again at reading approaches based on the child's own writing. Not many present-day teachers remember Sylvia Ashton-Warner working with Maori children in the mid 1940's. She wrote a book called "Teacher" in which she explained how she taught every one of her young students to read using vocabulary that was critical to that specific individual. Phonics was taught from those critically significant words like "Mother" and "eat" and "fight". Phonics eventually took its place as the bridge that linked the child's own words to the words of others. I have not yet found Ashton-Warner's approach to fail. Even Toby will attempt to write if I allow him to express what he needs to communicate.

But in our system Toby is already lost. Repeated phonetic literacy training did not work for him. At ten he is totally defeated. His recent significant gain in reading level (using an SRA Reading Lab) is not matched by his writing competence, so now in third grade, where oral reading ability is less important than being able to answer questions/expain himself on paper, he continues to look (and feel) "very weak". His WISC scores may be negatively skewed because of his visual and co-ordination difficulties, but they will remain in his file and label him for the duration of his school career. The one-to-one attention he requires is not available, not affordable. My attempts to explain to teachers the intricatcies of his situation are met with polite tolerance, even some understanding and sympathy, but who has time to consider the implications and to make so many accommodations? Easier to modify, to consider him incapable, and to carry on with those who can meet the requirements of this unforgiving curriculum. How quick we are to blame the child, or the parents.

Toby's elder brother reflects many of the same problems, but has somehow retained his confidence. He impresses us all with his ability to write with two hands simultaneously and impresses even himself with his ability to maintain a shoulderstand on the mini balance-board that the rest of us cannot tame in an upright position. Teachers acknowledge his ability to generate creative ideas, but lament his constant need to fidget, to doodle, and to wrap himself around his chair in wildly flexible fashion. Still, there is some hope for this big brother.

Where is Toby headed? Only occassionally does he sit bolt upright and add a comment - usually when we discuss animals or video games... When it comes to anything on paper, he goes into avoidance mode. And blames himself.

Change cannot come soon enough.

.....Ann Thompson.....