Write your thoughts about what the author says in Sousa’s book “How the Special Education

Brain Learns” and Armstrong's Book on “Neurodiversity.”

● Writing is a combination of mental and physical acts
● Writing is not considered a survival skill by the brain
Note the page numbers and provide three quotations or more across the text assignment.
● “Learning cursive writing, they say, allows children to improve their memory and critical
thinking as well as their reading, spelling, and composition”(Sousa 135).
● “A study of preschoolers found that those who already had practice in handwriting words
were better able to identify letters in words than preschoolers who typed the same words
on a keyboard”(Sousa 136).
● “When their invented spelling is accepted, children feel empowered to write more and
with purpose, communicating their messages from the very beginning of school”(Sousa
139).
Make at least one connection to personal experience, other texts you’ve read, and/or what you
know about schools.
● I know that in a lot of schools, including my past schools, students with bad handwriting
are often made fun of, both by other students and teachers. It’s seen as just being stupid
or lazy, and dysgraphia or similar disorders are rarely considered.
What are the words, phrases, and sentences that strike you? Include any pieces you do not
want to forget that deal with characteristics, adaptations, and strategies on this graphic
organizer. Do not worry if you have just a few, as other chapters will be full of these for your
learning going forward.
● Symptoms of dysgraphia: Inconsistencies of letter formation, unfinished words or letters,
watching hand while writing, slow copying, omitted words in writing, inconsistent spacing
● Consider where the problems in writing begin
● Use assistive technology such as contrast aids and word processors