Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.

1. Why doesn't my son like to read?
2. My child's handwriting is messy and I don't know what to do....

Why doesn't my son like to read?

Educators Differ on Why Boys Lag in Reading 
Gap Stokes Debate Over Teaching Approaches, Curricula 
By Valerie Strauss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 15, 2005; Page A12 


Jerilynn Hoffman couldn't get her young son to read much until she found a 
book that wasn't her cup of tea but definitely was his: "The Day My Butt 
Went 
Psycho."

Sharon Grover had a different problem: Her son loved books early in 
elementary school but mysteriously lost interest at about third grade, 
declaring: "My mother is a librarian, but I hate to read." He did, however, 
start reading again for pleasure -- in his twenties.

Enticing boys to read -- and to keep reading -- is the flip side of the 
sometimes fierce debate about girls and their math and science abilities, 
and 
both issues are receiving new attention as educators focus on how boys and 
girls learn differently.

The controversy about gender and learning was stoked anew when Harvard 
University President Larry Summers recently questioned girls' intrinsic 
abilities in math and science. Then first lady Laura Bush spoke about her 
new 
effort to help boys, who she said are falling dangerously behind girls in 
such areas as literacy.

Some educators have said that the concern over boys is exaggerated and that 
boys end up doing just fine, holding top jobs and being paid higher average 
salaries than women. Others, however, have said boys face an unprecedented 
literary crisis that limits their opportunities, citing studies showing that 
the gap between the sexes -- dating back to the 19th century -- has 
increased 
markedly. 

"Part of it is biological and part of it is sociological, but boys are 
definitely drifting down," said Jon Scieszka, author of the "The Stinky 
Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales," and founder of the Web site 
www.guysread.com, which is aimed at helping interest boys in reading. "We've 
been testing kids in America for the last 25 years and finding out that boys 
are doing worse than girls," he said. "But we don't do enough to change 
that."

Exactly what should be done, however, is unclear, because there is no 
consensus on how much genetics, environment and culture are responsible for 
the gap. And it is not strictly a U.S. phenomenon: Stephen Gorard, education 
professor at the University of York in England, reviewed scores for 22 
countries and discovered gaps in every one, despite differences in school 
setups and curricula. 

What is known is that boys generally take longer to learn to read than 
girls; 
they read less and are less enthusiastic about it; and they have more 
trouble 
understanding narrative texts yet are better at absorbing informational 
texts. Those findings are from a literacy study done in 2002, "Reading Don't 
Fix No Chevys," by Michael W. Smith, a Temple University professor, and 
Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Boise State University English education professor.

Scientists have said that boys are born with smaller language centers in 
their brains -- and larger spatial centers -- than girls and that boys 
develop language abilities at a slower rate, though eventually they catch up.

Girls generally learn to read and understand language sooner than boys, 
which 
helps to explain why early remedial reading classes are most often heavily 
populated with boys, teachers say.

The new push to have children learn key skills earlier -- reading in 
kindergarten and first grade, for instance -- works against boys, some 
educators say.

"It goes totally against the brain research showing how young boys and girls 
develop," said JoAnn Deak, a school psychologist and co-author of "Girls 
Will 
Be Girls: Raising Confident and Courageous Daughters."

Most teachers are not schooled in dealing with children's biological 
differences, experts say, and many teachers beyond the third-grade level do 
not understand that they can do a lot to build up students' reading skills 
and confidence. 

"If we don't teach reading and writing to boys in a boy-friendly way, they 
will continue to fall behind," said Michael Gurian, author and co-founder of 
the Spokane, Wash.-based Gurian Institute, which trains educators in gender 
differences in learning.

The notion of confidence in reading is central to the issue, said Smith, the 
Temple professor. He said that people like to do what they are good at and 
that when boys stumble early in learning to read, it is often a skill they 
never warm to.

Another factor, said Hoffman, a reading specialist at Pattie Elementary 
School in Prince William County, is that it is more difficult for many boys 
to sit still for classes, much less to "cuddle up with a book."

"They are just more active," she said.

Many schools have made an effort to incorporate into their curricula more 
books thought to appeal to boys, but Smith said he doubts that book choice 
will make the difference without changing the context in which boys are 
taught.

Meanwhile, a growing number of experts have said that what constitutes "good 
reading" might need redefining -- much of what boys often like to read is 
not 
highly respected by the English teachers trying to get their students to 
love "King Lear." Perhaps, Hoffman and other educators said, the very 
definition of literacy needs to be rewritten.

"A lot of teachers think of reading as reading stories," said Lee Galda, 
professor of children's literature at the University of Minnesota. "And in 
fact, a lot of boys, and not just boys, like nonfiction. But we keep 
concentrating on novels or short stories and sometimes don't think of 
reading 
nonfiction as reading. But in fact it is, and it is extremely important."

Teachers and parents have said boys generally prefer stories with adventure, 
suspense and fantasy and tend toward reading nonfiction stories and non-
narrative informational books, as well as magazines and newspapers.

Young boys revel in what Hoffman calls "potty humor," material many parents 
don't think is appropriate but that helped get her son interested in books. 
Boys like graphic novels, too, but not stories about relationships.

In a middle-school reading group that Grover runs at the Arlington Public 
Library, where she is youth services selections specialist, boys and girls 
challenged each other to read outside their preferred genres. "One of the 
boys read 'The Princess Diaries,' and he just couldn't understand what 
anybody would see to like in that."

Aaron Katz, 12, a sixth-grader in Montgomery County, said he "never liked 
reading books -- and I still don't." But he does devour car magazines and 
likes the sports pages of newspapers. Somehow, though, he doesn't consider 
that reading.



� 2005 The Washington Post Company

Back to Top

My child's handwriting is messy and I don't know what to do....

Help from the creator of Handwriting Without Tears....
Common Handwriting Problems and Solutions 

Pencil grasp: The optimal pencil grasp is known as the "tripod grasp". This 
is when the pencil is supported by the thumb, index and middle finger. The 
ring and little finger are bent and rest comfortably on the table. You 
shouldn't worry about a child's pencil grasp unless it is affecting their 
writing or the child is experiencing pain. Ideally it would be nice to teach 
every child how to hold their pencil correctly from the start, however, some 
children develop poor habits and you may need to try adaptive grip to help 
position their fingers. Suggested grips are The Pencil Grip or Stetro Grip. 
These can be ordered from Therapy Shoppe at 1-800-261-5590 or 
www.therapyshoppe.com. When modifying the pencil grasp, have the child only 
use the adaptive grip for a short time each day. This will help the child 
get use to the feel of a new grasp. Too much awkwardness may make the child 
resist change.

Child holds pencil straight up in the air: This is also known as 
the "Washington Monument" pencil grasp. The child may be having a difficult 
time separating the two sides of their hand. There is a mobile side to the 
hand (the thumb, index, and middle finger) and the stable side (the ring and 
pinky finger). You can try to use the Handi-writer device purchased from 
Therapy Shoppe or you can use two rubber bands looped together with one loop 
placed around the child's wrist and one loop around the pencil. The eraser 
end of the pencil should point towards the child's shoulder. 

Child has a difficult time manipulating a large or regular size pencil: Use 
golf-size pencils with children. There is this idea that children need to 
write with large pencils. Adults write with pencils in proportion to their 
hands so why shouldn't children?

Child moves their entire arm when they write: Have the child lay on the 
floor to write. This puts weight on the arms and stabilizes them. You can 
also have the child write on a vertical surface (i.e. chalkboard or stable 
easel). This helps the child put their wrist in a functional writing 
position and also works on shoulder stability.

Child does not space between words: Use a stamp pad and have the child stamp 
their fingerprint between each word. Also, use the HWT concept of 
exaggerating the spaces by putting "nothing" between the words (remember 
your bottle full of nothing). You can also place a small piece of candy or a 
sticker between the words. Spacer sticks also work well

Child writes with an open hand or fingers straight: Try placing a small 
sponge or a marble in the last two fingers. Have the child hold onto this 
while they cut or write. 
Child writes too hard: This may be because the child has poor awareness of 
finger placement and movement or poor control of the smaller muscles of the 
hand.. Sometimes correcting the pencil grip may help this problem. Have the 
child practicing coloring bunnies light gray, medium gray, dark gray, black 
to increase their awareness of different degrees of pressure on the pencil. 
Try a mechanical pencil so the child has to learn to control the amount of 
pressure used. You can also have the child place their paper on a piece of 
Styrofoam (if they press too hard they will poke holes in their paper). Also 
try having the child write on a phone book. 

Child writes too soft: Have the child practice coloring bunnies dark. You 
can also try a weighted pencil to give the child more awareness of the 
pencil. Sometimes correcting the pencil grasp can also help with this 
problem. 

Letter and number reversals: Choose one reversal per assignment to work on. 
If the child reverses many of their numbers, work on them one at a time 
beginning with the lowest number. Master that formation before moving on to 
another number. Use the slate chalkboard. Using the "starting corner (smiley 
face)" the child will quickly learn to form the letter the right way. You 
demonstrate and the child imitates.

Awkward letter formations: If the letter formations are "Magic C" letters, 
use the mystery letter game on page 20 of My Printing Book. You can 
photocopy this page for extra practice. For other letters you demonstrate 
the letters and have the child imitate you. 

Poor posture: Children will sacrifice all forms of mobility for stability. 
Children need to sit in their chair with their hips, knees and feet at a 90-
degree angle. If the child's feet do not touch the floor try placing a box 
or stool under their feet to help with stability. Old fashion desks are 
great for proper positioning for writing. If your children sit at tables you 
may need to adjust the height of the table or chair to get an optimal 
position. Remember to have the children "Stack Their Blocks" and play 
the "Stomping Game". This wakes the children up and gets them ready to 
write. These exercises are found on page 11 and 12 of the green Handwriting 
Without Tears book. 

Child wraps their thumb around the pencil: Try using the Thumb Buddy . This 
was invented by Jan Z. Olsen and can be purchased at the Therapy Shoppe at 1-
800-261-5590 or www.therapyshoppe.com. It works very well with children who 
have stability problems. It requires adult help to put it on. 

Poor paper placement: Beginners (learning to print letters and words) can 
place the paper straight (not tilted). Experienced printers (able to print 
sentences across the page) should place the paper at a slight angle to 
follow the natural arc of the writing hand. The angle or tilt should follow 
the natural arc of the writing hand. See the illustration found on Printing 
Teacher's Guide page 11, but this is easy to remember. For right-handed 
children, put the right(top right corner shown in illus.) corner higher; for 
left-handed, the left corner (shown) is higher. The writing hand is below 
the line of writing. This encourages the correct neutral wrist position.

Child doesn't stabilize paper with other hand: If the child is disabled use 
a clipboard or a piece of tape to hold their paper in place. For other 
children try naming their helper hand (non-dominant hand) and show it how it 
has other jobs to do. Children love when you talk to their hand like it is a 
person. 

Child has a difficult time seeing the blackboard: Child may need an eye exam 
to rule out the need for glasses. Also children at this age may have a 
difficult time looking up to a vertical surface and then back down to a 
horizontal surface. Maybe try having the child work on a vertical/slanted 
surface. If a slanted desk is not available you can try a slant board (talk 
to your OT about getting one of these) or adapt a three-ring binder for 
children to work on.

Child holds pencil too close or too far from the tip: Wrap a small rubber 
band around the area where the fingers should be placed. This will remind 
the child where to hold the pencil. When using a traditional pencil, remind 
them to hold the pencil "where the paint ends."

Back to Top