Posted by Claire on 8:40 Jan 18
In Reply to: NLD and writing frustrations: am I asking too much? posted by Caroline
The simplest is to have her jot down one idea per post-it note, and then arrange the post-it notes as an outline. For example, she would have jotted down the decoration on one, then the supporting ideas, and then the conclusion. You could possibly have her arrange these on a board, then you take the board and hand her one post-it note at a time (in order, of course) to write a sentence. She wouldn't be overwhelmed by looking at the entire outline at one time and could focus on writing one sentence at a time. You wouldn't do any of the writing for her, although you could verbally help her out at times.
You also might want to download Kidspiration and Inspiration software (they have free 30-day trials and a special anniversary offer going on right now). This software consists of a graphic organizer that can be very helpful to children who have difficulty with organizing their thoughts. There are different ways to use it, but basically the student types in ideas and then the software creates an outline from them. From what I have heard, the learning curve for Inspiration can be pretty steep. I am thinking of starting with Kidspiration, even though my dd is 17yo, so that we can both work out way into Inspiration.
I'm not sure if these ideas will work for NLD, but I think they would be worth a try. NLD children learn best with verbal instructions, so even with math you can expect to do a *lot* of talking. I read a post from a woman with NLD who said she was able to master math by working with a tutor who very patiently allowed her to ask endless minute questions and patiently answered every question. It was the only way she could "get" math.