When DD was in vision therapy, her therapist gave her the following exercise to help with her with cross body integration and letter/number reversals. We used a white board mounted on the side of our refrigerator because the therapist wanted a big arm motion including the shoulder.
1) Draw an infinity symbol on the white board oriented horizontally. Draw a vertical center line through the infinity symbol. Write a "L" on the left side of the board and a "R" on the right side to help your child keep track of which is which.
2) Have the child trace over the infinity symbol starting from the centerline and moving up and to the left (like you are starting a handwritten "a"). Have the child shout out left
and right as he/she crosses the centerline. Have the child trace the symbol and say the direction 10 times.
3) To practice specific letters or numbers, start from the centerline and write the letter or number for the child over the infinity symbol. The numbers "4, 5, 9" start with a
motion that goes to the left of the centerline, "0, 6, 8" also go to the left but are centered over the centerline, "2, 3, 7" go to the right. Have the child trace over the letter/number 5 times and say the letter out loud as they are tracing.
DD still occasionally reverses letters and numbers but the incidence has decreased significantly.
Knute
Thanks for the tip, sounds like something we could do and interestingly sounds like what mumto3 did on her own. I am still stuck on the fact that he doesn't do it when copying but does without the help, but I know that my isses emerge under stress and this is stressful for him.
Boon - love how you asked him to do it the "right" way without making what he was doing seem wrong!
