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The LD Podcast
Podcast about learning and learning disabilities geared towards parents, featuring interviews with experts in the field and advice from parents with kids with LD.
Jun 19 2007
Jun 19 2007
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Handwriting skills, or penmanship, is no longer taught in schools the same way it was when I was in elementary school in the 70's. Yet, we are putting more and more emphasis on writing skills in school. While it's natural to say "Well, it's all about computers- they need to learn how to type, not write by hand!" and typing skills are important, the ability to be able to express yourself in writing of any sort begins with the process of learning how to manipulate pencils and have letters, words and sentences flow between your brain and the physical act required to record those thoughts on paper (or this computer screen!)
Both of my children have struggled with their handwriting, and the lack of legibility and the lack of fluidity in their handwriting" has had a serious impact on their composition skills. When handwriting is a difficult, frustrating and unrewarding chore, kids start to do as little of it as possile, and become "minimalists" in terms of their composition- doing as little as possible to skate by. Yet the demands on them to write across the curriculum in school- even in math class, continues to increase every year in school. This is not something we can afford to ignore.
Jan Olsen is an occupational therapist who has taught children handwriting for many years. Jan's own son had problems with his handwriting, which led in part to her development of the Handwriting Without Tears Program. Most teachers don't learn about teaching handwriting, mechanics or even the proper posture required during their education, so it's hard to expect them to teach children the appropriate way to form their leters and numbers. Jan's program his being used by over 2 million students and has been adopted in over 16 states as the standard handwriting curriculum. It has an emphasis on fun and success, and it has helped my kids, although we will be spending the summer breaking some bad habits and adopting some better ones, in just 5 minutes, twice a day.
In our two part conversation, Jan and I talk about why handwriting is important, and why it isn't part of the normal curriculum. As you listen to the show, you'll see how important things like positive reinforcement are for kids- "You're fine, but your letters are in trouble" and how even parents can help their children succeed.
Part 2 discusses details of the Handwriting Without Tears Program in some more detail, and how the multisensory aspects of the program really help kids understand how the letters are formed and why, eventually building up to making writing an effortless, automatic task.
Handwriting without tears workbooks can be purchased from their website by clicking here .
As always, we'd love to hear your feedback! Our voicemail number is (206) 666-2343; our email is ldpodcast@gmail.com.
I'll be attending Podcasters Across Borders the weekend of June 22-24, and I'll be speaking at BlogPhiladelphia, July 12&13th. I am also one of thelead organizers of PodCamp Philadelphia. If you are interested in knowing more about any of these events, drop me a line, and I'll send you everything you need to know!
C lick here to listen to Show #59- Jan Olsen- Handwriting Without Tears!
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Whitney Hoffman
The LD Podcast is an online radio show that discusses learning and learning disabilities, geared towards providing parents with research-based information to help their children be successful at... more
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2008-09-24
 | LD Podcast "Unplugged"- Mark Blevis interviews Whitney about Homework |
| Show #93- Sharon Martin SLP, Part II |
| Sharon Martin, Speech and Language Pathologist |
| Show # 91- Write On Handwriting with Amy Ford Hebert- Part II |
| Show #90- Amy Ford Hebert- Write On Handwriting |
| Show #89- News, Announcements and Money In Science and Education |
| Shelley Dannenberg, Dyslexia Testing and Information Services Part II |
| Show # 87 Shelley Dannenberg, Dyslexia Testing and Information Services |
| Show # 86 Jenifer Fox- Your Child’s Strengths |
| Jenifer Fox- Your Child's Strengths |
| Education 2.0 |
| Melinda Pongrey- Educational Therapist, Part II |
| Show # 82- Melinda Pongey, Educational Therapist |
| Catching Up |
| Show # 80- Nancy Thomas- Early Childhood Education and Spotting Issues |
| Conversation with Jonathan Mooney Part II (show #79) |
| Conversation with Jonathan Mooney |
| Making a Difference-Ma Chen and Autism in China |
| Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson |
| Show # 76- Dr. Steve Graham, Part II |
| Show #75- Dr Steve Graham- The Development of Writing |
| Audio Holiday Card- Merry Christmas, Happy Haunnakah, Happy New Year! |
| Part II of Interview with Ben Mitchell, Landmark College |
| Show #72 Benjamin Mitchell, Director of Admissions, Landmark College- Transitioning to College |
| #71- Nina Straitman- Part III |
| Brian Jacques Special |
| Show # 70 Nina Straightman - Language therapist- Fluency, Comprehension, and the Development of Language Skills |
| Show # 69- The Development of Reading- Nina Straitman |
| Show #68 Conversation with Rick LaVoie |
| Show # 67: Conversation with Rick LaVoie |
| LD Podcast #66 Child Find, National Reading and Math Report Card, and Should Kids Study More Science&Math? |
| ChildFind, National Test Scores, & Math & Science Education |
| LD Podcast#65: What are you waiting for? Tell them Now! |
| The Most Imporant Interview Ever- James Hoffman |
| Show #62 Summer Updates with Melody |
| First Anniversary Show |
| Show #60- Jan Olsen, OTR- Handwriting Without Tears, Part II |
| Show #59- Jan Olsen, OTR- Handwriting Without Tears |
| Show 58- Resiliency, Parent Reviews and Changing those Negative Scripts |
| Show #57: Dr. Robert Brooks- Raising Resilient Children |
| Show #56- Anne Ford and John Richard Thompson |
| Show # 55 Conversation with Anne Ford and John Richard Thompson Part II- Helicopter Parenting, Families and Siblings |
| Show #54- Anne Ford and John Thompson- On Their Own |
| The Latest News about LD |
| Peter Wright, Wrightslaw: Special Education Law and You |
| Show # 51: Peter Wright of Wrightslaw |
| Show #50: Conversation with Paige Heninger of Mommycast - Moms&Kids with ADHD |
| Moms&Kids with ADHD |
| Show #48 Conversation with Sally Smith Part II |
| Show #47 Conversation with Sally Smith, Founder of the Lab School |
| Show #45 Quirky Kids: Conversation with Dr. Perri Klass, Part 1 |
| Conversation with Alfie Kohn |
| Show # 43 Moms Talk about Meds Part II |
| Dr. Thomas E. Brown- Author of Attention Deficit Disorder- |