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Social Anxiety Always Needs Help and Grade Skipping Very Effective for Some Gifted Students
Social Anxiety Always Needs Help and Grade Skipping Very Effective for Some Gifted Students
Q: How do you know when social anxiety requires more attention (e.g. therapy or medication)?
A: A parent is often the first person who can help a socially …Read more.
Helping Over-Empowered High-School Students Is Not Easy
Q: My question is related to my role as a high-school teacher. I have my master's in special education with a concentration on students with emotional disabilities. I've taught for the last 15 years as either a special education or English teacher, …Read more.
When Should a Child be IQ Tested? and Death Is Frightening to Children
Q: At what point should IQ testing be conducted? We have an only child — a girl who is in kindergarten.
A: There's no specific time that all children should be given individual IQ tests by a psychologist. Schools often arrange for group IQ …Read more.
Grandson May be More Difficult During Grandma's Visit
Q: I'm concerned about my 2-year-old grandson who seems very needy and demanding. He cries for at least an hour after his mom leaves. Occasionally, distraction works but not often. He says, "It's mine" over and over about everything in his …Read more.
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Boy Has Handwriting ProblemQ: I visited your website and want to get some pointers from you. I live in the Detroit area. My 12-year-old son is in seventh grade. He's intelligent and plays well with friends. He plays clarinet and guitar, organizes his toys and plays video games. But he has a handwriting problem and his work is often untidy and unreadable with spelling errors. I often tutor him and his school gives him pages of cursive handwriting work, which he sometimes does well. Can you let me know a contact in our area so that I can get a consultation for him? I do not want my son to know, as he feels bad if I suggest a doctor. My son says, "No, I do not have a problem! I am careless!" Could you guide me on what to do? A: First I want to assure you that many boys have handwriting problems. While some girls also do, they're much more common for boys. If that is your son's only problem and all else is going well for him at school, you won't have to see a doctor at all. You can ask the school to arrange for the occupational therapist to do an evaluation of your son's problem to determine if strengthening his hand muscles by occupational therapy would improve his handwriting. If the school doesn't consider the problem serious enough to allow an evaluation, you can ask your family doctor about an occupational therapist in your area to conduct the evaluation. Occupational therapy evaluations are usually covered by health insurance if your doctor makes a referral. Because your son is already 12, encourage him to type as much work on a computer as possible.
If your son's problem goes beyond handwriting, it's possible that he could also have attention problems or other disabilities. Under those circumstances, a psychologist who specializes in children could help you. Again, the school can possibly provide you with services through the school psychologist or recommend someone in your area in a local clinic. Because you mentioned that he also makes spelling errors, it's possible that his admitted carelessness is a problem, or he may have other learning problems. Either way, a psychologist can help identify the problems and recommend approaches to use in improving his achievement. For free newsletters about pencil anxiety, learning disabilities, underachievement or ADHD, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address below. Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com. Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or srimm@sylviarimm.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
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