If you were me and you had my dd, wwyd?

[worriedsilly]

Right - here is your life.

-DD is 7, Educational Psychologist report states superior abilities and on 96th centile for cognitive abilities.

• But writing is an issue, it is on 40th centile and is almost infecting her other work. She has decided she isn't any good at any lessons that involve writing .Her self esteem in this area is at a low.
• dd is as state school rated 'good' [it is prob best in the town] but she isn't wild about it. No actual close friends etc.
• dd has anxiety and worry issues and trouble mixing with peers. She's better with adults and older childen.

Would you

A) work with school and work to ensure true differentiation
B) work at home on a writing scheme to try nail the writing self esteem issues
C) look into possibility of a (generous) bursary to try access a nurturing independent that might tap into her abilities.
D) Throw more money at an occupational therapist to see if anything can be done to turn the writing around
E) Ask school and/or GPreferralsider referal to CAMHS for anxiety and OT for writing.

Please select the actions you think best

Just curious, but I am wondering how EPs can quantify writing so precisely that they can place someone on the 40th centile. What exactly do they measure? I can understand how cognitive abilities can be measured by a set of questions and the answers compared to established norms, but how do they do that for something as varied as writing ability?

I would get a graphotherapist (or a specialised OT) to help with writing ASAP. This is an urgent issue IMO.

I would investigate other schools that will have other pupils whose cognitive abilities match those of your DD. She will be lonely and bored otherwise, which will be bad for her emotional development.

My dd1 is nearly 7 and exactly the same issues, school type as your dd (except she is very sociable and popular)

Since the beginning of yr 2, I've paid a private ot a small fortune to come to our house for a weekly hourly session. It has made an amazing difference - dd's confidence academically has grown tenfold. Haven't read all of thread but in answer to your original OP then, I would definitely choose option D.

Takver and IndigoBell - I am an excellent typist and draft anything and everything on the computer. My handwriting has always been slow and painful. I have always been very good at essay based exams, however!

I'm actually in the same position as you, Bonsoir - I much prefer to type rather than write (not only drafting documents, I also take minutes direct to a laptop and find it much easier than writing them).

I've also always been good at essay type exams, but then although my writing is barely legible it is quick, and I guess in the far-off pre computer days examiners had to be good at reading atrocious handwriting!

Unfortunately so far dd's typing is even slower than her writing, otherwise my inclination - and I think school's approach - would be to go with a laptop for work where content is primary, and practicing handwriting as a separate skill.

(In initial meetings though the EP did say that many children all of a sudden get remarkably good at keyboards even if they have been very resistant when they hit the texting/msn age!)

I'm told I have beautiful handwriting but prefer to type however I do think it is important for children to learn to write correctly first unless there is a very good reason why this isn't possible. For most children typing isn't any easier than writing so they would have to put the same effort into mastering that.

My DD (7) has beautiful, fast cursive handwriting and, yes, I do think it helps her learn. She certainly gets her homework done quickly! I remember labouring over my exercise books.