I need some vibes, or something.

[lightningandsnow]

I'm dreading going back to school because I have a super hard time writing by hand. It takes an insane amount of time and energy and I'm in pain the whole time. I have pretty bad coordination issues, but I'm probably never going to get to do things on a computer instead, because you need a "real" LD for that, and to have a "real" LD you have to get bad grades. Oh yeah, and I have a massive english essay exam to write by hand when I get back.

I have terrible anxiety but apparently just need to suck it up because all teenagers, actually all people have anxiety.

I have stomach issues, tire really easily, and have vague, random muscle/joint pains, but apparently it's all psychosomatic. That doesn't help me, see above.

/end whine

[Danger Mouse]

1. Just hang in there.

:hug:

[auntAgonist]

2. yup , what elrond said. I hope your anxiety

doesn't cause you too much trouble. :hug: I'll keep a good thought for you.

I don't think you're whining at all.

aA

[noamnety]

3. I have a student with the opposite writing problem

I had the students do a few writing exercises recently, but I'm in a computer lab so I had the kids do it on the computer.
One student complained because he has issues writing on the computer - he'd rather write by hand. It wasn't a big deal, I asked him if he'd rather do just write on paper the next time we do one of these, and he said yes and was happy. Problem solved.

I don't know your specific situation, but it's worth at least talking to the teacher about it to see if they can accommodate you in some way. If your school has a learning resource room for kids with IEPs, even if you don't have an IEP maybe they can see fit to let you do the essay there on a computer with supervision (or in a media center with supervision if your school has something like that). It's always worth asking the question ahead of time.

There might be other reasons why you don't qualify as having a "real" LD, by the way, but grades shouldn't be one of them. We have kids with IEPs who are straight A students, and one year our valedictorian was a special ed student.

If you are missing school because of anxiety, I'd try to stay in touch with the teachers through email where you can and still keep up with your assignments. It also helps to have a safe room set up at the school - a teacher or counselor you feel comfortable with, and an agreement with all the teachers that if you can't handle things you are able to walk out, go to the other place (so you aren't just "missing" or skipping), and do your work there. Do you have something like that available?

[lightningandsnow]

7. I'm getting assesed for LD's

but I don't think it'll turn anything up. I mean, the psych said I probably have some kind of visual processing/coordination, but might not officially qualify because my academics are fine.

As for the anxiety, I know I should talk to my teachers about it, but I feel like they'll just think I'm using it as a copout. It's worth a try, though.

Thank you for your input. :hug:

[noamnety]

13. oops

I answered with the assumption you're in the US - I don't know anything about laws or rules in other places. But all the same I would suggest talking to a school counselor at a minimum about the anxiety. We have some students who have worked out arrangements that don't have a documented medical issue as far as I know - but we also know we will lose them as students if we don't do something.

If you are keeping up with all your work, I think it's less likely the teachers will see this as a copout. I have some kids that miss a lot of school because of anxiety but when they are turning in great projects that's the last thing on my mind, that they are trying to get out of something.

Some simple coping strategies I've given my students to let them escape the classroom if they are having a panic attack ... excuse themselves to go to the water fountain, so some other sort of quick errand for me, stuff like that. Some questions to think about on your own: Are you able to recognize when you are starting to have an anxiety attack and why? Are there any routines you have that help to avert them? (I'm just thinking if you know things that trigger them and things that help tone them down, that might make for a more productive conversation with a teacher. The more specific my students are with me about their needs, the better I can accommodate them.)

[mzteris]

4. They must assess you if your parents request it in writing:

How is an IPRC meeting requested?
The principal of the student’s school:

* must request an IPRC meeting for the student, upon receiving a written request from the parent;
* may, with written notice to the parent, refer the student to an IPRC when the principal and the student’s teacher or teachers believe that the student may benefit from a special education program.

Within 15 days of receiving a written request, or giving the parent notice, the principal must provide a copy of the board’s Parents’ Guide to Special Education to the parent, as well as an acknowledgement of the parent’s request and a written statement of approximately when the IPRC will meet.

May parents attend the IPRC meeting?
Regulation 181/98 entitles parents and pupils 16 years of age or older:

* to be present at and participate in all committee discussions about the student; and
* to be present when the committee’s identification and placement decision is made.

Who else may attend an IPRC meeting?

* the principal of the student’s school;
* other resource people such as the student’s teacher, special education staff, board support staff, or the representative of an agency, who may provide further information or clarification;
* a representative of the parent or student 16 years of age or older – that is, a person who may provide support or speak on behalf of the parent or student;

. . .


What happens at an IPRC meeting?

* The chair introduces everyone and explains the purpose of the meeting.
* The IPRC will review all available information about the student. They will:
o consider an educational assessment;
o consider, subject to the provisions of the Health Care Consent Act, 1996, a health or psychological assessment conducted by a qualified practitioner if they feel that such an assessment is required to make a correct identification or placement decision;
o interview the student, with the parent’s permission, if the child is less than 16 years of age, if they feel it would be useful to do so; and
o consider any information that the parent submits about their child or that the student submits if he or she is 16 years of age or older.
* The committee may discuss any proposal that has been made about a special education program or special education services for the student. Committee members will discuss any such proposal at the parent’s request, or at the request of the student if the student is 16 years of age or older.
* Parents are encouraged to ask questions and join in the discussion.
* Following the discussion, after all the information has been presented and considered, the committee will make its decision.


http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/hilites.html

[lightningandsnow]

5. Oddly enough, I do have an IEP,

but that's because I'm gifted.

My mom writes in the fine motor thing every year, and evey year it disappears because it apparently doesn't really exist. :/

[mzteris]

6. then request the meeting

and have another assessment. "Twice-exceptional" Gifted/LD is more the common than people think. Just because you have ONE designation does NOT mean you can't have another. Already having an IEP in place should make it EASIER, not harder.

[femmocrat]

12. Absolutely!

You and your mom have to insist that the school meets your needs. They won't do anything they don't have to do. You have received some good advice here. Try your district's special education coordinator and make sure you know your rights. I've seen some pretty specific requirements on IEPs. Our district really tries to accommodate any child with special needs.

Best of luck!

[av8rdave]

8. I know anxiety can be terrible to deal with...

I know it's easier said than done, but try to just concentrate on the holidays for now, and worry about school when you go back.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Good luck and all the best!

[blueraven95]

9. hey, my sister has similar problems -

she's brilliant, but has terrible motor skills. There are actually a few disorders that have both those symptoms, and most people (including teachers) know nothing about them. In my sister's case, she also has an unusual speech disorder related to all the other issues.

I would highly suggest getting your mother to fight for the computer, if she will. It's not enough to put it in writing on some form...she needs to go directly to the school board and push. If it's possible get your doctor to write a note explaining about your motor skill issues. It takes a bit of energy and persistence, but after you get through the first layer or two of bureaucracy at the school board, it usually gets easier to get real results.

In the mean time, I would talk to your teacher, and this is important, before the big essay. Unless you have a really bad with him/her, he/she will probably be understanding and help you work out a solution. Just be really pathetic and explain how you are really trying, but the writing is painful. Most educators I know want their students to succeed and will go out of their way to help them out - especially for the students who are bright and committed.

Hey, and good luck and hang in there - we are all rooting for you! :hug:

[sohndrsmith]

10. I'm sorry, AspieGrrl... question:

Has the handwriting problem always been an issue, or a more recent one?

Can you type on the keyboard with accuracy and efficiency for long periods without pain?

I only ask because I used to be able to write (even calligraphy-type stuff), but now writing things by hand is a struggle for me as well... In my case, it is entirely and completely due to computer/keyboard use.

Do you enjoy crossword puzzles? That might be something that could help as a "warm up" - at least in my case it is. As is doing some writing that I want to do - for fun, not as a chore - and only in small doses, particularly to start. If you find that intimidating, maybe trying to copy some text that you love... Shakespeare's sonnets, favorite lyrics or nursery rhymes, etc.

Not sure if any of this is helpful or not - I'm not sure if your "condition" is the same as mine. I can't write a legible word to save my life these days - unless I REALLY try. And that's sort of sad... I love to write, but I find it frustrating now so I can relate to you in that respect.

Also, if you can, treat yourself to a really cool pen and writing surface (journal book, or just paper you like)... try to make it fun and pleasant... you may find that stuff like that helps.

Have you tried holding your pen/pencil in different ways? One of my daughters holds her pencil between her index and middle finger (I think - it's hard to explain) and she refuses to do it the "traditional" way - but it works for her so I'm not really concerned about it... you might try different positions - if only just to make it, again, more fun, rather than something you dread...

Good luck - maybe it's a good thing that this is stressing you out rather than your being worried about the content of what it is that you write... sounds like you're ahead of the game, perhaps... : )

[applegrove]

11. Vibes to you.

[soleiri]

14. vibes

I also have horrible handwriting, and I dreaded school. My writing was so bad, that during elementary school I was pulled out of regular class to strengthen and improve my small motor skills. :)
It didn’t help. If I have to write by hand for an extended amount of time (more than 2 minutes) my hand actually throbs with pain. Having to write an essay for school was hell. Once I even slathered my hand in pain reliever cream before a final.
Until I was able to use a computer, I avoided writing.
Add to that I’m left handed and I always have a smudge of ink on the side of my hand after handwriting.

good luck… it gets better in college.

[ThomCat]

15. I'm very, very sorry.

It sounds like you need a better doctor who takes you more seriously. I have a lot of pain in my hands when I try to hold a pen, so writing out more than a couple of checks gets excruciatingly painful. That sure as hell is a problem that would interfere with taking an essay exam.

People who say pain is psychosomatic piss me off. x(

random muscle and joint pains are not a psychological issue. Pain needs to be taken seriously and treated as a physiological issue.

:hug:

I hope you can get through this. Keep talking to people. Find someone who will listen. Don't put up with a wrong answer, and tell them that you won't put up with a wrong answer. They have to know when they're wrong, and know that they are causing more problems when they are wrong.

[lightningandsnow]

19. You're lovely.

:hug:

How are you doing?

[ThomCat]

23. I have just been awake all of 1 hour today.

:P

The weather is kicking my ass, and I'm going to be back in bed shortly. I'm numb on pain meds and muscle relaxers. Hopefully I'll feel much better tomorrow. :)

[hunter]

16. I had a miserable time handwriting from about the third grade through high school.

I can't write fast and it's hard to explain but my thoughts don't stay in synch with my handwriting or my keyboarding. I used to erase big holes in my paper, or hold my pencil in a death grip as if that would force my words to flow correctly.

My fifth grade teacher couldn't figure me out. Cursive writing and good penmanship eluded me so it was torture for both of us; she thought she could teach any kid to write cursive, and I thought I could learn anything. It got so I could produce a reasonable fascimile of cursive writing, but it always felt like I was trying to draw something incompletely pictured in my imagination. I could never get the hang of reading or writing cursive fluently despite hours of daily practice.

By the time I was in college I'd learned a couple of things:

1. Computers are wonderful. Backspace keys and cursor keys make writing a joy for me.

2. I stopped worrying about my handwriting. One of my high school English teachers told me to relax and simply draw single lines through any mistakes -- sort of like the marks copy editors use. So what if my writing looks like that of a second grader?

3. For exams I'd bring lots of extra paper or blue-books and not worry too much about staying between the lines. If it took me two blue-books to do an exam that everyone else was doing in one blue-book, so what? If I couldn't fit everything in the space provided I'd use extra pages.

The more anxious I was about my writing the worse it got. The problem didn't go away until I started to get teachers who simply accepted the way I wrote, some in high school and nearly all of them in college.

[mwooldri]

17. Definitely vibes to you about that handwriting stuff..

At first school, we could only use pencil for writing. No pens.

At middle school, we were banned from using ball point pens, we had to use fountain pens. We were encouraged to take up calligraphy.

At secondary school, ball point pens were OK, but you had to keep practicing your handwriting.

At Sixth Form College, as long as the teachers could read your handwriting, it was OK.

At University, handwriting was unacceptable for handed-in work, it had to be typed up. Of course you could hand write your notes. However I took to tape recording the lectures, especially for one guy who had a very thick Glaswegian accent that was very hard for me to tune into. He was a great guy and all that, and even though he spoke fluent English, I had a hard time understanding him.

As for anxiety, get that assessed, and that need to hand-write too. Get what help you can, because although being able to write stuff by hand is definitely still desirable, if you physically or mentally can't do it then you shouldn't be forced because there's plenty of other ways to express yourself.

Good luck, please get assessed and maybe try a tape recorder (though they probably are digital these days, and you'd be able to download to your computer).

Mark.

[BrklynLiberal]

18. Can you get access to a Pc in the school library?

[lightningandsnow]

20. You are all awesome.

I'm feeling much better today. Past the angsty moment. :grouphug:

[sohndrsmith]

21. AspieGrrl... please accept my apologies if I misread your dilemma.

My daughter had an EIP due to a LD (ADHD, diagnosed unusually early, especially for a girl...) and I have dealt with many health issues that doctors tell me are psychosomatic - I think primarily because they can't come up with a traditional diagnosis. I'm not sure how body-wide lymphadenopathy is in my head, but, they can't figure out why my glands have gone haywire, seem to multiply and (lately) hurt.

Have you ever been tested for Lyme or - even if you have and the results were negative, do you happen to live in an endemic area for tick/vector-borne disease like Lyme/Ehrlichiosis/Babesiosis? Lyme if left untreated can cause joint problems, pain, fatigue, cardiac problems, psychological problems - all of which can come and go - and - surprise, surprise, doctors think the person is nuts or it's "all in their head" because untreated long term infection can be dormant, provide false negative test results and all sorts of obstructive problems...

The more I thought about your symptoms, the more I wondered about your location and your risk for tick-related illness... my mother has had 5 heart attacks that are unexplainable in other terms, and nearly died as a result of a tick bite - spending 11 days in ICU and she still hasn't recovered and never will. But her experience is extreme and she is elderly as well.

Have you investigated this route as far as your "mysterious" symptoms (the ones doctors hate the most... and are the most neglected).

Again, I'm sorry if I misread your difficulties.

hugs!

[blondeatlast]

22. I can't offer much advice, but can offer hugs and support (as you did me).

Have you talked to the teacher about this? Maybes/he will be willing to let you record lectures and make an exception for exams.

Maybe e ven show her/him how you write.

Best to you--and thanks for your hugs for my strife, too. :hugs: