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when he accidentally wrote a letter backwards, he could see that it was wrong immediately because a b where a d was supposed to be would cause the word to be wrong.

Know what's frustrating? GS8 will write a 'd' intending to make a 'b', and when asked to read it back immediately, will read it as a 'b'. If the paper is laid aside for a few days and he reads it back, he will see the error immediately. This makes it very hard for him to check his own work. The only time he will read a 'd' for a 'b' is when he encounters a new word, but the majority of the time he will sound it out with both a 'd' or a 'b' and know which it is because he will recognize the word. This applies to some other letters, the 'b' & 'd' are the worst.

And he still has problems remembering which hand to hold over his heart when saying the pledge to the flag. He is getting smoother handling his show calves, where a lead is held in one hand and a show stick in the other. When the calf is stopped, you turn to face the calf and switch the lead & stick to opposite hands. This sounds minor, but it's been a struggle for him for 8 months. (BTW, the show stick is used to scratch the calf's belly because the calf enjoys it, and to gently move it's feet in the correct position when standing.)