DAVID'S DIFFICULTIES

Low self-confidence

David used to be a very social child and this was the part of school he enjoyed but he has started to notice that he learns a different way to the other children in his class, and his peers have started telling him that he cannot read, that his writing is too big and wobbly and that he reverses some of his letters.

They also call out to the teacher "David is copying me again".

Because of this David has lost all his self confidence and has become shy and withdrawn and his teacher also approached me about this as she is becoming quite concerned.

David has started fighting at school with children who were previously his friends and has been made to stand on the yellow line in the yard/playground as punishment.

He told me he hurts them because they laugh at him. Just before the summer holidays began David cried for two hours before going to bed two nights in a row and begged me to teach him at home or send him to a new school.

Posture and pencil grip

David is right handed and he has always had trouble holding his pencil correctly. He holds his pencil with his thumb and three fingers.

David sometimes sits with his head on his arm when he is losing concentration or if he finds the work he is doing too difficult.

Both his teacher and I have showed David many times the correct way to hold his pencil but he always reverts back to the old way unless he has someone constantly watching and reminding him.

I tried a 'pencil grip' (a triangular rubber grip which makes it easier for a child to hold a pencil) but this did not seem to be of any use to David, as he still found a way to hold it incorrectly.

After many weeks of reminding him he now seems to remember to hold the paper with one hand and write with the other. I think a lot of it is not being able to remember as he has a very bad memory.

Confidence building exercise

I made two lists with David - one of things that he is good at, and the other of things he has trouble with.

Things I am good at:

Football
Swimming
Baseball
Skipping
Building with Lego and K-Nex
Riding my bike
Computers
Making people laugh
Dancing
Singing
Gymnastics
Being Kind
Using my imagination
Helping Mummy tidy up
Playing golf
Making things with clay

Things I am not so good a:

Writing
Reading
Spelling
Math/s

I showed David how the list of things he was good at was much greater than the list of things he was not so good at.

You could see that he felt much better about himself straight away and even told his Nanny, when he saw her, all about it.

David also finds comfort in the fact that his dad, uncle and cousin all have dyslexia. He realises that he is not the only one and chats with his cousin who being five years older, tells him how best to handle the children at school when they are nasty to him.

I think it would be a good idea if children with dyslexia could meet at a group a couple of times a year so they can see there are others the same.

Michelle Ward
E-mail: mimward5000@aol.com

Michelle Ward is a student on the Dyslexia Certificate course.

• Confidence Building Exercise described in detail.